The owner of the massive container ship Dali, which caused the deadly collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge last month, has initiated a process requiring owners of the cargo on board to cover some of the salvage costs.

The ship’s owner, Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Ltd., made what’s known in maritime law as a “general average” declaration, which allows a third-party adjuster to determine what each stakeholder should contribute, according to company spokesperson Darrell Wilson.

The requirement is often invoked after maritime accidents so that the cost of saving a vessel or its cargo is shared among interested parties, Wilson said. In this case, it pertains to costs associated with refloating the Dali, which remains stuck with sections of the fallen bridge draped across its damaged bow.

Crews are working to remove some shipping containers from the Dali before lifting pieces of the wreckage and freeing the ship. They’re also working to clear debris from the Port of Baltimore’s main channel, which has been largely blocked for weeks, halting most commercial traffic through the major shipping hub.

A routine practice dating back centuries, the general average declaration marks the ship owner’s latest effort to minimize its financial responsibility in what could become one of the most expensive maritime disasters in history.

Grace Ocean and the ship’s management company, Synergy Marine Group, filed a petition soon after the collapse seeking to limit their legal liability — another routine procedure for cases litigated under U.S. maritime law.

One of the cargo owners, Mediterranean Shipping Company, announced last week that it was informed of the general average declaration by the Danish shipping giant Maersk, which chartered the Dali. The declaration indicates the ship’s owner anticipates “extraordinary costs for which they expect contribution from all salvaged parties,” the company’s release said.