Baltimore Bridge: Biden’s Visit, Recovery, Supply Chain

By: Linda Chiem

Nearly two weeks after the Francis Scott Key Bridge’s collapse, President Biden visited Baltimore and pledged a whole-of-government approach to reopen the Port of Baltimore by June, while the ship’s owner and operator sought to limit their financial liability. Cohen Seglias partner Michael McKenna, involved in similar past litigation, noted to Law360, “There is an obvious defense to this petition, which is to claim that the ship when it left port was ‘unseaworthy,'” suggesting several entities might contest the petition.

Nearly two weeks after the Francis Scott Key Bridge’s collapse, government and legal maneuvers are taking shape as the Biden administration pledged to fully reopen the Port of Baltimore before June, while the owner and operator of the ship that caused the collapse sought to limit its financial liability.

President Joe Biden visited Baltimore on Friday, pledging a whole-of-government approach to the Key Bridge’s reconstruction and the region’s economic recovery. Biden’s visit comes a week and half after the Singapore-flagged container ship Dali lost power and slammed into one of the bridge’s support columns, triggering a collapse that killed six construction workers and cut off access to the Port of Baltimore, a crucial East Coast maritime shipping hub.

“Your nation has your back, and I mean it,” Biden told Marylanders Friday.