U.S. News: Bridge Collapse Leads to Charges --- Ship operator, worker are accused of safety violations in 2024 Baltimore crash

“The Justice Department filed criminal charges against the operator of the containership that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore two years ago, alleging safety violations that resulted in the death of six construction workers.

 

The Dali, a 900-foot containership registered in Singapore, slammed into the bridge in March 2024, knocking a large section of the span into the Patapsco River. Six construction workers on the bridge died.

 

The wreckage blocked most of the Port of Baltimore's 700-foot-wide channel for nearly 11 weeks, snarling maritime traffic. The Justice Department said the crash caused an estimated $5 billion in economic losses.

 

Singapore-based Synergy Marine and its India-based unit Synergy Maritime were charged with conspiracy for allegedly failing to inform the U.S. Coast Guard of a hazardous condition. The companies were also charged with obstruction of an agency proceeding and making false statements.

 

Synergy could face a fine of as much as $10 billion, said Kelly Hayes, U.S. attorney in Maryland, at a news conference Tuesday. If convicted, the U.S. could also seek restitution and forfeiture from Synergy, she said.

 

Synergy didn't respond to a request for comment.

 

Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, 47, an Indian national who worked for both companies, was also charged for the same violations.

 

Nair is believed to be in India, Hayes said. The Justice Department will "use all of our available law-enforcement tools" to bring him to the U.S., she said.

 

Synergy and the vessel's owner, Grace Ocean Private, reached a $102 million settlement with the DOJ in 2024 covering the federal government's costs responding to the collapse. The Justice Department had sued the companies, alleging they ignored safety issues that resulted in the vessel losing power and crashing into the bridge.

 

The Dali lost power twice as it headed out to sea from the Port of Baltimore, leading to the crash with the Key Bridge. A loose wire in a high-voltage switchboard likely caused the first power loss, federal prosecutors said.

 

The Dali was equipped with backup systems in the event it lost power, but Synergy made alterations that led the ship to experience a second blackout, the Justice Department said. The Dali would have regained power in time to avoid the bridge if the ship's generators used proper fuel-supply pumps, prosecutors said. This alteration was hazardous under U.S. Coast Guard regulations and a violation of international law, they said.

 

The obstruction charges relate to Nair's statements to the National Transportation Safety Board that he was unaware of modifications made to the ship. Nair also took steps to hide the modified system before and after the crash, the DOJ alleges.” [1]

 

1. U.S. News: Bridge Collapse Leads to Charges --- Ship operator, worker are accused of safety violations in 2024 Baltimore crash. De Avila, Joseph.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 13 May 2026: A3.