Shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries won a court decision on August 3 in the product liability suit brought against it by the owner and operator of the containership Dali. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania dismissed the case on “forum non conveniens” grounds, finding another venue more appropriate — it did not rule on the merits of the construction-defect claims.
Grace Ocean, the Dali’s owner, and Synergy Marine, its operator, filed the admiralty action in July 2025 over the blackout that caused the vessel to strike and collapse Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024, killing six roadworkers. The complaint alleged manufacturing defects in the ship, which Hyundai built in 2014 and delivered in 2015, contributed to the power failure. The NTSB investigation attributed the blackout to a loose wire, while a pending criminal complaint in Maryland cites an improper pump that did not automatically restart.
The court found Synergy Marine, like Grace Ocean, was bound by a 2016 transfer contract containing a London arbitration clause, and agreed with Hyundai that evidence and witnesses are located in South Korea and Singapore. The case was dismissed with prejudice in Pennsylvania. Grace Ocean and Synergy have already settled many civil claims with the federal government, Maryland, and victims’ families; a separate criminal case against Synergy Marine and a technical supervisor is scheduled for trial in October 2027.
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