By John Haughey
Contributing Writer
Federal prosecutors have charged two global shipping firms and a supervisor with criminal conspiracy, obstruction and misconduct that they allege led directly to a container ship knocking down Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024.
The collision killed six workers, shut down the ninth-busiest port in the United States for months, and caused more than $5 billion in damages and economic losses.
Indictments unsealed on Tuesday in the Baltimore Division of the U.S. District Court for Maryland charge Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Ltd., Synergy Marine Group of India, and Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair — an Indian national who worked for both as an onboard technical superintendent — with those crimes as well as lying to federal officials investigating how the 95,000-ton Singapore-flagged MV Dali crashed into and destroyed the 1.6-mile bridge.
“The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge was a preventable tragedy of enormous consequence,” Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement accompanying the indictment. “This indictment is a critical step toward holding accountable those whose reckless disregard for maritime safety regulations caused this disaster.”
According to the indictment, the 900-foot Dali lost power twice in a four-minute span as it navigated out of the Port of Baltimore, causing it to crash into the bridge, a vital Interstate 695 span over the Patapsco River.
The indictment alleges a loose wire in a high-voltage switchboard likely caused the first power loss, which was quickly restored before the ship lost power again. Federal prosecutors maintain defendants allegedly altered the ship and relied on a flushing pump to supply fuel to two of the Dali’s four generators, causing the second loss of power that left the ship adrift and unable to steer before it rammed into the bridge’s pylons, knocking it down.
The indictment states the flushing pump “was not designed to automatically restart following a blackout, and Dali’s generators could not operate without a fuel supply, so the ship ultimately experienced a second blackout.”
Had Dali used “proper fuel supply pumps, the vessel would have regained power in time to safely navigate under the Key Bridge,” the prosecutors allege.
The indictment claims Synergy and Nair obstructed the National Transportation Safety Board investigation by issuing false statements and documents. Prosecutors say Nair’s statement “that he was unaware Dali was using the flushing pump to provide fuel to the generators” is a lie.
“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 $5 billion,” Blanche said. “This Department [of Justice] is committed to securing justice for the victims and ensuring those responsible are held to account.”
“The indictment reveals a pattern of deception and egregious violations that led to the unsafe operation of Dali which recklessly endangered the public and resulted in the ship striking the bridge,” Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul of the FBI Baltimore Field Office said. “This indictment should send a message to all ship operators that circumventing safety requirements and breaking U.S. laws will not be tolerated.”
Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and Synergy Marine Group are also charged with violations of the Clean Water Act, Oil Pollution Act, and Refuse Act for the discharge of pollutants into the Patapsco River, including shipping containers and their contents, oil, and the bridge itself.
“This indictment is the first step in our efforts to hold those accountable who caused the tragic deaths of six people and catastrophic damage to our region,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Kelly O. Hayes said. “The safety of our residents, ports, and infrastructure is of utmost importance to the prosperity of the District of Maryland. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland will continue to pursue those who commit crimes that jeopardize those interests.”
