The Justice Department unveiled charges on Tuesday against corporate operators and a shore-based technical superintendent related to the container ship crash that caused the 2024 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
The federal indictment charged three defendants, Singapore-based Synergy Marine, India-based Synergy Maritime and Indian national Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, with conspiracy to defraud the United States and willfully failing to immediately inform the U.S. Coast Guard of a known hazardous condition, along with two other charges.
The bridge collapse killed six construction workers patching potholes at the time of the incident, around 1:30 a.m. on March 26, 2024.
At a press conference on the NS Savannah near the crash site on Tuesday, federal prosecutors said that Synergy and its employees “broke the law in ways that caused this tragedy.” The government also alleged that Nair fraudulently altered safety inspections.
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“The government’s investigation also found that Synergy employees, including its shore-side technical managers, fabricated and directed the fabrication of safety inspections and certifications related to vessel systems,” said Kelly O. Hayes, the U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland.
Representatives for Synergy Marine, Synergy Maritime and Nair did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The indictment accused Nair of providing false statements and documents to the National Transportation Safety Board as the agency conducted its investigation.
The Motor Vessel Dali, a 900-foot vessel registered in Singapore, crashed into the bridge after two catastrophic power failures — the first likely stemming from a loose wire in a high-voltage switchboard, according to the indictment.
The DOJ’s investigation found that the Dali was unable to overcome the second power blackout because it was using an “unapproved flushing pump in the fuel oil supply system,” and Synergy was aware of that, according to Adam Gustafson, the U.S. deputy assistant attorney general at the Environment and Natural Resources Division.
The DOJ’s investigation estimated that the economic loss caused by the crash and collapse could reach $5 billion, and Maryland’s transportation department reported that rebuilding the bridge could take years to complete.
“The MDTA Board is prepared to update their financial forecast to include the updated cost estimate range to $4.3-$5.2 billion with an anticipated open-to-traffic date in late 2030,” the Maryland Transportation Authority announced in November.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who is leading the construction effort, told NOTUS he supports the federal charges being brought in the case.
“We welcome today’s indictments and remain committed to ensuring that all those responsible for the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and tragic loss of six lives are held to account,” Moore said in a statement.
Moore said efforts to restore the bridge have moved with “speed and efficiency” during phase one of the rebuild, but he announced in April that the MDTA would enter a new procurement process ahead of phase two because of issues with a contractor’s proposed reimbursement.
“It became evident that the contractor’s proposed price and timeline for moving forward was unreasonably high and therefore unacceptable … And I will not move forward with any arrangement that fails that test,” Moore said in a statement at the time.
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