BALTIMORE — The Department of Justice announced on Tuesday 18 charges against the operators of the 100,000-plus-ton cargo ship that crashed into a Maryland bridge more than two years ago, causing it to collapse and killing six people.
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Federal prosecutors said they were charging the international companies Synergy Marine Pte Ltd and Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd, as well as ship technical superintendent Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, with conspiracy, willfully failing to immediately inform the U.S. Coast Guard of a known hazardous condition, obstruction of an agency proceeding, and false statements.
The two companies were also charged with misdemeanor violations of the Clean Water Act, Oil Pollution Act, and Refuse Act, the department said. Those charges are related to the discharge of pollutants into Maryland’s Patapsco River, including the shipping containers, their contents, oil and the bridge itself.
The 900-foot ship Dali lost power twice and slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the early hours of March 26, 2024, as a work crew was fixing potholes.
Six construction workers died when the bridge went crumbling down into the Patapsco River. Another construction worker fell into the waters below and sustained serious injuries but survived, while an inspector working as a subcontractor for the Maryland Transportation Authority escaped the collapse without injuries. The nearly two dozen crew members on the ship survived, along with two pilots who were helping the vessel navigate the harbor.
The collapse brought the critically important Baltimore Port to a standstill for two months and reconstruction of the bridge is ongoing.
“The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge was a preventable tragedy of enormous consequence,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement announcing the charges. “This indictment is a critical step toward holding accountable those whose reckless disregard for maritime safety regulations caused this disaster. Six construction workers lost their lives, critical infrastructure was destroyed, pollutants were released into the Patapsco River and Chesapeake Bay, and the economic damage now exceeds five billion dollars.”
“This Department is committed to securing justice for the victims and ensuring those responsible are held to account,” he said.
The company Synergy Marine Pte Ltd is based in Singapore and Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd is based in Chennai, India, according to prosecutors. Nair, 47, is an Indian national who was a technical superintendent of both companies.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
