The cargo ship Dali sits in the water after collapsing the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26 in Baltimore.before the sun rose above the Patapsco River, a container ship named Dali that was en route to Colombo, Sri Lanka,. The collision triggered the collapse of the 1.6 mile long structure, sending huge swaths of it into the river’s dark waters. By evening, six construction workers who had been in the middle of the bridge’s span were presumed dead.
The company that chartered the ship, Maersk Line Limited, has since come under scrutiny following the tragedy. Hours after the news broke, the cargo giant for taking action against a sailor who previously reported unsafe working conditions while aboard a Maersk-operated boat. The seaman had been a chief mate on the Safmarine Mafadi, a Maersk-operated vessel, and reported several issues on board including unrepaired leaks, unpermitted alcohol consumption onboard, inoperable lifeboats, and faulty emergency fire suppression equipment. He had been disciplined for not properly maintaining the logbook and failing to properly follow orders, before he was ultimately fired by the company.
The department found that Maersk had “a policy that requires employees to first report their concerns to … prior to reporting it to the or other authorities.” Federal officials said there was “reasonable cause to believe” that the company’s policy violated the The department called the policy “repugnant to the Act,” and in its order wrote that it “creates a chilling effect because it dissuades employees from reporting any safety concerns directly” to the U.S. Coast Guard and other authorities.
Maersk was ordered by federal officials to pay the employee over $700,000 in damages and back wages, and to reinstate him. The shipping conglomerate was also instructed toits policy to “not prohibit seamen from contacting the USCG or other federal, state or local regulatory agencies before first notifying the company.