Federal prosecutors in Maryland on Tuesday unveiled a 47‑page indictment charging Synergy Marine, the Singapore‑based operator of the container ship Dali, and Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, the vessel’s technical superintendent, with conspiracy and misconduct causing death in connection with the March 2024 allision that destroyed Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge and killed six road workers.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche called the collapse “a preventable tragedy of enormous consequence.”
The Dali lost power twice in a four‑minute span as it left the Port of Baltimore early on March 26, 2024, bound for Sri Lanka, according to investigators. A loose wire in a switchboard likely triggered the first blackout, and after power was restored the ship turned to a fuel pump that was not designed to restart automatically after a blackout. Because that pump failed, a second blackout occurred, the indictment states.
Had the proper fuel pumps been used, the government alleges, the vessel would have regained propulsion in time to navigate safely under the bridge. Instead, the Dali struck a supporting column, killing six construction workers who were filling potholes. The same type of pump had failed on two of the Dali’s sister ships, prosecutors said.
Jimmy Paul, head of the FBI’s Baltimore field office, said, “As alleged, the bridge was struck and collapsed because those who were responsible for the ship’s operation deliberately cut corners at the expense of safety.”
The companies and Nair are charged with conspiracy, misconduct causing death, failing to immediately inform the U.S. Coast Guard of a hazardous condition, obstructing the National Transportation Safety Board, and making false statements. The Synergy companies also face misdemeanor charges for releasing pollutants into the Patapsco River.
Synergy Marine said it was disappointed and accused the Justice Department of “turning an accident into a crime.” The company’s statement added, “This was a maritime casualty that should be assessed through the full factual, technical and regulatory record, rather than through selective mischaracterizations in a criminal indictment. … Synergy will vigorously defend itself against these inaccurate allegations.”
Nair’s lawyer, David Gerger, said his client “thinks about this accident every day, but he certainly did not cause it.”
Prosecutors further allege that the Dali had experienced two blackouts while in port a day before the departure, but Synergy did not investigate or report them and later provided false information to the NTSB.
The indictment follows a $2.25 billion settlement between the state of Maryland, Synergy Marine, and Grace Ocean Private Limited, the ship’s Singapore‑based owner, which was announced in April. The settlement amount was disclosed Tuesday.
Maryland officials estimate it could cost between $4.3 billion and $5.2 billion to replace the bridge, which is expected to reopen in late 2030. Paul noted that “the altered skyline is a constant reminder of this tragedy.”
Civil litigation on behalf of those who died remains pending. Attorney L. Chris Stewart, who represents four families and a man who survived the bridge crash, described the indictment as a “bombshell.” He said the families’ daily question is, “Will we get justice now?”
The original 1.6‑mile steel span, a vital piece of Baltimore’s transportation network, opened in 1977 after five years of construction.