The Justice Department has criminally charged the operator of a container ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, as well as an employee who was onboard, in the fallout of a collision that caused the bridge to collapse and killed six people.
The indictment unsealed Tuesday accuses the two corporations and the ship’s technical operator of causing the death of the construction workers and the collapse of the Baltimore bridge on March 26, 2024.
Federal prosecutors announced the indictment in Baltimore, Maryland, which names Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., based in Singapore, and Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd., based in Chennai, India.
The two corporations and Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, 47, the ship’s technical superintendent, have been charged with conspiracy to defraud the U.S., obstruction and providing false statements.
“They forged safety inspections and certifications. They falsely claim the ship was in good working order, and then lied to investigators about their actions when they were questioned,” said Jimmy Paul, special agent in charge for the FBI Baltimore Field Office.
The Dali lost power twice in the moments leading up to the collision on March 26, 2024.
According to prosecutors, the ship was set up to automatically regain power after a blackout. But the defendants are accused of relying on a flushing pump to power two of the four generators on board.
The flushing pump isn’t made to automatically restart, according to the indictment.
“Instead, it needed to be manually restarted when the flushing pump was not restarted in time,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Kelly Hayes said. “After that first blackout, the ship’s two running generators became starved of fuel, causing a second blackout.”
Prosecutors allege that if the ship used it’s proper fuel supply pumps, it could have regained power before striking the bridge.
Paul said the ship’s operator and Nair failed to document, investigate and report significant safety risks and hazards aboard the Dali.
Prosecutors allege the group failed聽to report safety risks to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The charges follow a yearslong FBI investigation that involved two dozen search warrants, including those executed onboard the vessel and its sister ship, around 200 interviews with witnesses and reviewing terabytes of data.
The crash killed six workers who were on the bridge to refill potholes and shut down shipping operations at Port of Baltimore for months.
“Pieces of the bridge, vehicles and other debris that fell into the Patapsco River, which is used in international commerce, polluted it and obstructed its navigability,” said Jeffrey Hall, the assistant administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance at the Environmental Protection Agency.
According to the indictment, the collision’s fallout has caused at least a $5 billion loss.
Maryland officials estimate it could cost between $4.3 billion and $5.2 billion build a new bridge, which is expected to be open to traffic in 2030.
Both corporations have also been charged with misdemeanors related to alleged violations of environmental policies from dumping pollutants into the Patapsco River.
“Although we are fortunate that not all of the hazardous materials escaped their containers, some materials did, including oil and other chemicals,” Hall said.
Hall said the ship was carrying 760 tons of hazardous materials.
EPA agents helped assess the threat in the immediate aftermath of the crash and worked alongside in the FBI and the Coast Guard in the investigation.
Hayes said law enforcement will work to bring Nair back to the U.S. from India to face the charges.
The Baltimore Banner was first to report on the federal indictment.
This is a breaking news story. Stay with 海角精品黑料 for the latest.聽
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
漏 2026 海角精品黑料. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
