Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill14564
Exactly the problem I mentioned. Why are the ship's owners responsible? What did the ship's owners do that contributed to the collision? The answer is we don't know at this point.
I see it as similar to renting a car from Hertz. If I am driving that car and have a collision, what responsibility do the owner's of Hertz have for the damages that were caused?
- If the law requires Hertz to carry insurance that covers their vehicle even when being operated by another then fine, they have some financial responsibility.
- If Hertz is responsible for maintenance of the vehicle but failed in that responsibility and if that failure contributed to the collision then they may have some financial responsibility.
- If the contract between Hertz and me clearly states that they are providing the vehicle but I am responsible for its proper operation then they would have no financial responsibility.
So what was the agreement between the ship's owner and Maersk? Who was responsible for maintenance of the ship? What was the cause of the loss of power and propulsion in the ship? The answer to those questions will determine who is responsible. We won't know the answers until the investigations are complete. Laying blame at this point is premature and jumping to conclusions. It is wrong to criticize leaders for being thorough and not jumping to conclusions.
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Is it the ships owner, or the maker of the engines in the ship? Is it the city of Baltimore and their pilots who didn’t drop anchor? Is it the state of Maryland who owned the bridge and collected excessive tolls and didn’t use the toll revenue to improve the bridge overtime for today’s maritime vehicles? Could it be the original steel mill’s metal? Are engineers at fault? What about the last inspection company? What about back up systems and generators?
The list is endless. My impression is the state could have done a better job updating their own bridge.