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Ship operator and employee are charged in crash that caused the deadly collapse of Baltimore bridge
Prosecutors say the ship used an unapproved flushing pump that caused two blackouts and led to the collapse that killed six workers.
On Tuesday, federal prosecutors announced 18 charges against Singapore-based Synergy Marine Pte Ltd, India-based Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd, and technical superintendent Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, 47, for their roles in the March 26, 2024 collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge that killed six construction workers.
The National Transportation Safety Board found two electrical blackouts—one from a loose wire and another from fuel pump problems—disabled the 900-foot Dali's steering before it crashed into a bridge column on March 26, 2024, sending the structure into the Patapsco River.
Prosecutors allege the defendants "altered" the ship to use a "flushing pump" for fuel instead of "proper fuel supply pumps," which the NTSB called "inappropriate." Nair allegedly told investigators he was unaware of the modification.
Synergy and Grace Ocean Private Limited previously settled with the Justice Department for more than $100 million in 2024 and with Maryland last month, though civil claims from victims' families and local governments seeking damages exceeding five billion dollars remain pending.
Maryland officials estimate replacing the bridge will cost between $4.3 billion and $5.2 billion, with the span expected to reopen in late 2030, while the collapse halted Baltimore Port operations for two months and disrupted thousands of livelihoods.