Transportation Today reports on the recent introduction of HR 9348, the “Justice for Victims of Foreign Vessel Accidents Act,” by two members of the US House. The bill was inspired by the ship collision that caused the collapse of the Maryland Transportation Authority’s Francis Scott Key toll bridge in March. Under current law adopted in 1851, a ship owner may petition a federal court to limit its liability for damages to the value of the vessel and its cargo, minus expenses. The owners of the ship involved in the March collision have taken advantage of that statute.
The new bill, which would be retroactive to the day before the Maryland incident, would substantially increase the liability limit for foreign-flagged vessels while maintaining the current liability threshold for US-flagged vessels, which are subject to regulatory inspections.
In a news release announcing the introduction of HR 9348, one of the sponsors, Representative John Garamendi (D-CA 8) commented, “If the foreign owners of the cargo vessel [Dalia] that took down the [Key Bridge] think they can leave American taxpayers holding the bag, I have a message for them: you broke it, you bought it. Access to America’s ports and our consumers is a privilege, not a right. If the foreign owners of the Dalia want to keep that privilege, they can break out their checkbooks, call their insurance company, and pay their fair share of the bridge replacement costs and compensation to the families of the six workers who died tragically that day.”