Maritime laws originating from ancient Phoenician and Greek civilizations could be used in cases surrounding the Baltimore bridge collapse|@Sulaiman_071|X

The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse following a cargo ship collision on Tuesday has landed shipping companies and insurers into legal chaos, with estimates suggesting the disaster could rack up billions in damages. 

Legal experts anticipate a deep dive into maritime law, whose origins can be traced back to ancient Phoenician and Greek civilizations, to assign accountability.

Ancient roots to modern challenges
Maritime law features principles like “general average,” in which any cargo loss would be borne by all merchants who had cargo on board.

Law, stemming from past tragedies like the Titanic, may also be visited. The White Star Line, which owned the Titanic, used the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851 to shield itself from post-accident financial ruin. It ended up paying only $664,000 in a settlement rather than the $16 million sought.

Bridge safety concerns
The Baltimore bridge stood for 47 years but fell in under a minute when the 100,000-ton Dali ship hit it, highlighting concerns about the safety of America’s 600,000 bridges. 

Around 46,100 of the 617,000 bridges across the US or 7.5% of all bridges, are structurally deficient and in poor condition, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ most recent infrastructure report card released in 2021.

Meanwhile
One of the largest cranes on the Eastern Seaboard arrived on the scene to clear up the debris after the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge began over the weekend.

The cargo ship Dali was trapped in the wreckage for nearly two months|Amaury Laporte|CC BY 2.0

Baltimore’s Port celebrated a major victory when its main shipping channel reopened on Monday after a massive cleanup effort following the deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26.

The port, one of the busiest and vital hubs in the US, restricted maritime traffic for weeks following the bridge collapse caused by the container ship Dali. The cargo ship was trapped in the wreckage for nearly two months and was relocated on May 20.

The restoration involved removing about 50,000 tons of bridge wreckage from the Patapsco River. The cleanup effort involved 56 agencies and 500 specialists worldwide.

The reopening brings hope to Baltimore, which suffered an estimated $1.2 billion economic loss due to the disruption.