Dali operator charged over Baltimore bridge collapse

Federal prosecutors have filed criminal charges against the operator of the container ship Dali and one of its technical supervisors over the 2024 collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which killed six construction workers and shut down shipping traffic through the Port of Baltimore for months.

The US Department of Justice has unsealed an indictment naming Singapore-based Synergy Marine, Chennai-based Synergy Maritime, and Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, 47, the ship’s technical superintendent. Prosecutors allege the companies and Nair were responsible for unsafe operating conditions aboard the Dali and later misled investigators examining the disaster.

The Dali struck the bridge in the early hours of 26 March 2024 after losing electrical power while departing Baltimore for Sri Lanka. The collision caused a large section of the bridge to collapse into the river, sending workers and vehicles into the water below. Six roadworkers died.

The charges include conspiracy, obstruction of an agency proceeding, false statements and failing to immediately notify the US Coast Guard about a known hazardous condition. Synergy also faces environmental offences linked to debris and pollutants entering the Patapsco River after the bridge collapse.

“The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge was a preventable tragedy of enormous consequence,” said acting attorney General Todd Blanche, in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Blanche described the indictment as “a critical step toward holding accountable those whose reckless disregard for maritime safety regulations caused this disaster.”

According to investigators, the 300m Singapore-flagged vessel suffered two blackouts shortly before impact. Federal prosecutors allege the first outage was likely caused by a loose wire in a high-voltage switchboard, while the second stemmed from the use of a “flushing pump” configured to supply fuel to two of the ship’s generators.

Authorities said the flushing pump was not designed to restart automatically after a blackout. Prosecutors argue that if approved fuel supply pumps had been used instead, the ship could have regained power and avoided hitting the bridge.

The National Transportation Safety Board had previously linked the flushing pump arrangement to the second power failure and described its use as inappropriate. Investigators also found that the Dali had experienced two electrical blackouts before leaving port.

The indictment alleges that Synergy employees knew about the flushing pump configuration and attempted to conceal it from investigators by removing references from documents and providing inaccurate statements to the NTSB. Prosecutors also accused the company of falsifying safety inspection records.

“The indictment reveals a pattern of deception and egregious violations that led to the unsafe operation of the Dali, which recklessly endangered the public and resulted in the ship striking the bridge,” said Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, of the FBI Baltimore Field Office, in a statement.

The Justice Department had previously alleged that the Dali left port with an inadequately prepared crew aboard a vessel that was not seaworthy. During a press conference announcing the charges, prosecutors also referred to “reckless cost-cutting” tied to the ship’s operation.

Synergy denied wrongdoing and said it would contest the allegations.

“DOJ is criminalising a tragic accident,” the company said in a statement to the BBC. “The allegations in the indictment are baseless and have nothing to do with the Dali‘s allision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge.”

The term “allision” refers in maritime law to a moving vessel striking a stationary object.

Separate civil litigation remains ongoing. Families of the victims, local businesses, cargo owners and government agencies have sued Synergy Marine and the ship’s owner, Grace Ocean Private Limited. The companies previously sought to cap their liability at roughly $43.6m, though they have already agreed to settlements well above that figure.

Maryland announced a settlement in principle earlier this year with Synergy Marine and Grace Ocean relating to claims over the bridge collapse, environmental damage and economic losses. Details have not been fully disclosed, although Maryland later said it had reached a $2.25bn settlement with Synergy Marine.

The companies have also paid more than $100m to settle federal civil claims and $350m to Maryland’s insurance carrier.

The collapse halted shipping through Baltimore’s harbour and disrupted commuter traffic, supply chains and businesses across the region. Maryland officials estimate rebuilding the bridge could cost between $4.3bn and $5.2bn, with the replacement span expected to open in 2030.

The original steel bridge opened in 1977 and stretched about 1.6 miles across the Patapsco River.