Ship operators charged over Baltimore bridge collapse that killed 6

Federal prosecutors have charged two companies that operated the container ship Dali and one of their employees over the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, alleging that an improper fuel supply system contributed to the vessel losing power before it struck the bridge, killing six workers.

The indictment was unsealed Tuesday against Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd. and Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, the ship’s technical superintendent, according to U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland.

The charges include conspiracy, violations of the Ports and Waterways Safety Act, misconduct or neglect of ship officers resulting in death, and obstruction.

The Dali, a 900-foot container ship, struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge at about 1:29 a.m. on March 26, 2024, after leaving the Port of Baltimore. Six people who were working on the bridge were killed, the bridge was destroyed, and debris blocked the shipping channel.

The collapse shut down the Port of Baltimore, one of the busiest ports on the East Coast, until the channel was reopened in June 2024. Reconstruction of the bridge remains underway, with Maryland officials not expecting the work to be completed until 2030.

Hayes said the Dali struck the bridge after it lost power twice in the four minutes before impact. The first blackout was likely caused by a loose wire in a high-voltage switchboard, but the ship quickly regained power because critical systems had redundancies and automatic restart capabilities.

The indictment says the second blackout happened because the defendants were using a flushing pump to supply fuel to two of the Dali’s generators. Unlike the proper fuel supply pumps, the flushing pump did not restart automatically and had to be manually restarted.

“When the flushing pump was not restarted in time after that first blackout, the ship’s two running generators became starved of fuel, causing a second blackout,” Hayes said.

Prosecutors said the Dali would have regained power in time to pass safely under the bridge if it had been using the proper fuel supply pumps. Instead, the ship lost power again before the crew could restore control.

The indictment alleges that using the flushing pump as a nonredundant fuel supply pump was a hazardous condition under U.S. Coast Guard regulations and violated international law.

Prosecutors said Synergy Marine and Synergy Maritime had used a flushing pump as a continuous fuel supply pump on at least three vessels, including the Dali, since 2020. The indictment alleges that Synergy employees, including Nair, knew the setup was improper and understood the risks.

Nair and others later took steps to hide the use of the flushing pump on the Dali before and after the crash, according to the indictment. Hayes said Nair also falsely told the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) after the collapse that he was unaware the Dali was using the flushing pump.

The indictment also alleges that Synergy employees, including shoreside technical managers, fabricated or directed the fabrication of safety inspections and certifications related to vessel systems. Prosecutors said Synergy later provided many of those false certifications to the NTSB and a federal grand jury in Baltimore.

Hayes said prosecutors believe Nair is currently in India. If convicted, the corporate defendants could face a fine of twice the loss amount, which prosecutors currently estimate at at least $5 billion. Prosecutors may also seek restitution or forfeiture tied to any criminal conviction.