The Department of Justice announced criminal charges on Tuesday against two corporate entities and a shoreside superintendent in connection with the 2024 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
The charges stem from the March 2024 crash of the cargo ship Dali into the bridge, which killed six construction workers and spilled pollutants into the Patapsco River.
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Singapore-based Synergy Marine, Chennai-based Synergy Maritime, and Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, 47, an Indian national who served as Dali’s technical superintendent, were charged with conspiracy, failing to report a known hazardous condition to the Coast Guard, obstruction, and making false statements.
Prosecutors allege the crash caused at least $5 billion in economic losses and said the collapse “should never have happened,” accusing those responsible of “deliberately cut[ting] corners at the expense of safety,” in a Tuesday press conference.
The two companies also face misdemeanor environmental charges under the Clean Water Act, Oil Pollution Act, and Refuse Act tied to the discharge of oil, shipping containers, debris, and bridge material into the river.
According to the charges, the Dali lost power twice within four minutes while leaving the Port of Baltimore. Prosecutors alleged a loose wire triggered the first blackout, but modifications to the ship’s fuel system prevented the vessel from properly recovering power after the outage.
Adam Gustafson, principal deputy assistant attorney general, Environment and Natural Resources Division, alleged the second outage “prevented the Dali from being able to avoid the bridge” and said Synergy “knew about the improper use of the flushing pump on the Dali and on other Synergy vessels” but “willfully failed to notify the Coast Guard of this hazardous condition.”
An indictment claimed the defendants relied on a flushing pump, which was not designed to automatically restart after a blackout, to supply fuel to generators. Prosecutors alleged the ship would have regained power in time to avoid the collision had the proper fuel pumps been used.
U.S. Attorney Kelly Hayes also accused Synergy employees of having “fabricated and directed the fabrication of safety inspections and certifications” tied to vessel systems.
The Justice Department also alleged Nair and the companies obstructed the National Transportation Safety Board investigation by providing false statements and documents, including claims Nair did not know the flushing pump was being used to fuel the generators.
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“The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge was a preventable tragedy of enormous consequence,” said acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “This indictment is a critical step toward holding accountable those whose reckless disregard for maritime safety regulations caused this disaster.”
Jimmy Paul, an FBI agent in charge of the investigation, added that defendants “repeatedly failed to document, investigate and report significant safety risks and hazards aboard the Dali” and “lied to investigators about their actions.
