In a recent announcement, the U.S. Justice Department revealed that a grand jury has indicted two foreign entities and a shoreside superintendent in connection with the March 2024 collision involving the 300-meter cargo ship Dali, which led to the destruction of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge and claimed the lives of six construction workers. The entities involved are Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., headquartered in Singapore, and Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd., based in Chennai, India. Also charged is Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, a 47-year-old Indian national who served as the technical superintendent for the Dali under both companies. The charges include conspiracy, failure to promptly report a known hazardous condition to the U.S. Coast Guard, obstruction of an agency proceeding, and making false statements.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized that the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge was a tragic event that could have been prevented. Nair, who is currently believed to be in India, may face extradition requests from the U.S. authorities in the future.
The indictment accuses the companies and Nair of defrauding the United States, leading to the deaths of the six bridge construction workers. Additionally, they are charged with submitting false statements and documents to the National Transportation Security Board. The Synergy corporations are also facing charges related to violations of the Clean Water Act, Oil Pollution Act, and Refuse Act for discharging pollutants into the Patapsco River.
According to the indictment details, the Dali lost power twice within a short span while departing from the Port of Baltimore. This power failure resulted in the ship colliding with a support column of the Key Bridge, causing sections of the bridge to collapse into the river, leading to the tragic deaths of the workers from Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala.
The Justice Department highlighted that the defendants’ reliance on a flushing pump to fuel the Dali’s generators was a critical factor in the accident. The flushing pump’s inability to restart automatically following a blackout left the ship’s generators without a fuel supply, rendering them inoperable. It is alleged that with proper fuel supply mechanisms, the Dali could have regained power in time to avoid the bridge collision.
A recent civil settlement was announced following an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) into the incident. The NTSB report identified two electrical blackouts on the Dali, one caused by a loose wire and the other by fuel pump issues, which disabled the ship’s controls before the collision.
The collision resulted in over $5 billion in damages and significant environmental harm, as stated by the Justice Department. The collapse of the bridge had far-reaching consequences, disrupting shipping at the Port of Baltimore, causing economic disruptions statewide, and impacting numerous livelihoods.
The indictment and settlement discussions follow claims of negligence, mismanagement, and reckless vessel operation, which plaintiffs allege led to the tragic incident. The settlement terms remain undisclosed, with some aspects of the lawsuit remaining unresolved.
