Containership Dali Leaves US for Chinese Repair Yard

The containership Dali has departed U.S. waters en route to a Chinese repair yard nearly six months after the vessel struck Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, triggering its deadly collapse.

The Singapore-registered ship, which had been moved from Baltimore to Norfolk, Va. in June for initial repairs, will undergo more extensive repair work at a yard in Ningbo, China. Dali departed Norfolk on Thursday without cargo and under escort from the U.S. Coast Guard and a trio of tugboats. The damaged vessels' journey to China is expected to take about 6-7 weeks due speed restrictions.

The U.S. Justice Department earlier this week filed a $103 million civil claim against Dali's owner and manager, alleging negligence led to the March 26 allision that killed six bridge workers and halted port operations for months. The claim filed at the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland against Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine details how the vessel lost electrical power several times before striking the bridge.

"This was an entirely avoidable catastrophe, resulting from a series of eminently foreseeable errors made by the owner and operator of the Dali," Brian Boynton, who heads the Justice Department's Civil Division, said in a statement.

Lawsuits have also been filed on behalf of the victims' families as well as the construction company that employed the workers, adding to a growing list of claims filed in the tragedy's wake. The wave of legal cases stemming from the costly incident will likely stretch for many years.

The state of Maryland is also expected to file a claim for the value of the destroyed bridge and the cost to replace it. The state has said it estimates that it will cost $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion to rebuild the bridge and anticipates completion by fall 2028.

To date, no criminal charges have been filed. The Federal Bureau of Investigations is investigating the incident.