US Brings Criminal Charges Over Baltimore Bridge Crash; Ship Operator Objects
The U.S. government has filed charges against two Singapore firms and an Indian ship superintendent for criminal conspiracy and obstruction relating to the crash of the cargo ship Dali that caused Baltimore’s Key bridge to collapse in March 2024, killing six workers.
The Department of Justice said a federal court unsealed an indictment today charging the three defendants with conspiracy to defraud the United States and with causing the death of six construction workers and $5 billion in economic losses, among other charges.
Those charged are ship operators Synergy Marine Pte Ltd, based in Singapore, and Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd, based in Chennai, India, along with Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, an Indian national who worked for both companies as the technical superintendent for the Dali.
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The three are charged 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.
Synergy Marine Group blasted the move to bring criminal charges, accusing DOJ of “criminalising” what it says was a tragic accident. “This was a maritime casualty that should be assessed through the full factual, technical and regulatory record, rather than through selective mischaracterisations in a criminal indictment,” Synergy said in a statement to Insurance Journal.
In announcing the indictment, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the collapse of the bridge was a “preventable tragedy of enormous consequence” and the indictment is a “critical step toward holding accountable those whose reckless disregard for maritime safety regulations caused this disaster.”
According to the indictment, the Dali lost power twice as it navigated out to sea from the Port of Baltimore, causing it to crash into the Key Bridge. The indictment alleges that a loose wire in a switchboard likely caused the first power loss, which is a finding made by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as part of its investigation.
Single Loose Wire Led to Blackout That Caused Dali Crash Into Baltimore Bridge
Shortly after the vessel regained power, it lost power again, according to the indictment, and the defendants allegedly altered the ship and relied on a flushing pump to supply fuel to two of the Dali’s four generators. However, the flushing pump was not designed to automatically restart following a blackout, and the Dali’s generators could not operate without a fuel supply, so the ship ultimately experienced a second blackout, the indictment maintains.
The indictment alleges that had the Dali used the proper fuel supply pumps, the vessel would have regained power in time to safely navigate under the bridge.
Synergy Group Response
Synergy Group took strong exception to DOJ’s allegations:
“The allegations in the indictment are baseless and have nothing to do with the Dali’s allision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The DOJ’s reference to the vessel’s use of the flushing pump is wholly irrelevant to the cause of the allision and runs contrary to the conclusions reached by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board following a comprehensive 20-month maritime accident investigation.”
Synergy said it has no responsibility for the loose wire. “Both the NTSB and well-respected maritime experts have conclusively determined that the accident was inevitable due to the loose wire, which was in no way attributable to Synergy’s operation of the vessel,” the operator stated.
The two Synergy corporations are also charged with misdemeanor 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.
Synergy and Nair are also charged with obstruction of an agency proceeding and providing false statements and documents to the NTSB as it conducted its investigation. The obstruction charges relate to Nair’s alleged statements to the NTSB that he was unaware that that the Dali was using the flushing pump to provide fuel to the generators.
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Synergy said it would “vigorously defend itself.” The company said Dali was not out of compliance with any code, law, regulation or rule governing her operation, or with the builder’s recommendations, at the time of the allision, and that the Dali and other vessels managed by Synergy, also had a “near-flawless Port State Control record” in the U.S.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The criminal charges come about a month after the state of Maryland reached a civil settlement in principle with Grace Ocean Private Limited, Dali’s owner, and Synergy Marine, resolving a portion of the state’s claims arising from the tragedy. Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today disclosed that the final settlement totals $2.25 billion. The settlement resolves claims brought against the vessel interests by the state and its agencies, including the Maryland Transportation Authority, the Maryland Port Administration, and the Maryland Department of the Environment. The settlement did not resolve any claims the state may bring against the shipbuilder.
Dali’s owner Grace Ocean has argued that the state officials bear “significant liability and fault” in light of “decades of records” showing the state failed to properly protect the bridge, which was built in the 1970s with minimal pier protection. Grace Ocean is suing the shipbuilder, Hyundai.
In October 2024, Grace Ocean and Synergy agreed to pay $102 million to resolve a civil claim brought by the U.S. for costs related to the catastrophic bridge collapse. That payment reimbursed the federal government for money spent clearing massive amounts of debris from the Port of Baltimore’s main shipping channel, which remained closed for months after the collapse.
After announcing that U.S. $102 million settlement, a spokesperson for Grace Ocean said it wasn’t an admission of responsibility or wrongdoing.
The NTSB has criticized Maryland officials for failing to conduct a risk assessment of the Key Bridge before it collapsed. The state has maintained that the collapse was solely the fault of the Dali and its owners.
Top Photo: Baltimore Key Bridge collapse in 2024. NTSB photo.