The Dali cargo ship was leaving Baltimore bound for Sri Lanka when its steering failed because of the power loss and it crashed into the Balitmore bridge.
The US Justice Department on Wednesday sued the owner and manager of the cargo ship that caused the Baltimore bridge collapse.
It is seeking to recover more than $100 million that the government spent to clear underwater debris and reopen the city's port.
In a written statement, attorney general Merrick Garland said the Justice Department is working to ensure the costs of clearing the channel and reopening the Port of Baltimore are borne by the companies that caused the crash, not by the American taxpayer.
The lawsuit filed in Maryland alleges that the electrical and mechanical systems on the ship, the Dali, were improperly maintained, causing it to lose power and veer off course before striking a support column on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March.
According to the lawsuit, the tragedy was entirely avoidable.
The collapse snarled commercial shipping traffic through the Port of Baltimore for months before the channel was fully opened in June.
The case was filed against Dali owner Grace Ocean Private Ltd and manager Synergy Marine Group, both of Singapore.
The ship was leaving Baltimore bound for Sri Lanka when its steering failed because of the power loss.
Six members of a road work crew on the bridge were killed in the collapse.
The companies filed a court petition days after the collapse seeking to limit their legal liability in what could become the most expensive marine casualty case in history.
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