Ship operator and employee are charged in crash that caused the deadly collapse of Baltimore bridge
BALTIMORE (AP) — Federal prosecutors filed criminal charges Tuesday in connection with the 2024 collapse Francis Scott Key Bridge in BaltimoreA Singapore-based ship operator and a senior employee are accused of making critical decisions and covering up what happened when a ship crashed into a clearing, killing six people.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche called the incident “a preventable tragedy with tremendous consequences.”
In the indictment, Singapore-based Synergy Marine Pte Ltd. and Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd., based in Chennai, India. their names are included. Indian citizen Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair (47), technical chief of the container ship Dali, was also charged.
Synergy Marine expressed disappointment and accused the US Department of Justice of criminalizing the accident.
“This was a maritime accident that should be evaluated based on the entire factual, technical and regulatory record, rather than selective mischaracterizations in a criminal indictment. … Synergy will vigorously defend itself against these false allegations,” the company said.
Dali, who was heading to Sri Lanka, lost power twice within four minutes while sailing from Baltimore Harbor, causing him to crash into the Key Bridge on March 24, 2024. Investigators say the initial loss of power that caused the steering to fail was likely caused by a loose wire in the switchboard.
After regaining power the ship found itself in trouble again. The indictment states that Dali used a specific pump to fuel two generators, but the pump was not designed to automatically restart after the first outage, so a second outage occurred.
The ship hit the support column of the bridge at around 01.30.
According to the indictment, if Dali had used the appropriate fuel pumps, the ship would have been able to regain power in time to pass safely under the bridge. Instead, it crashed, killing six construction workers filling the potholes.
“The bridge was hit and collapsed, allegedly because those in charge of the ship’s operation deliberately cut corners at the expense of safety,” said Jimmy Paul, head of the FBI’s Baltimore office.
The companies and Nair are charged with conspiracy, willfully failing to promptly notify the U.S. Coast Guard of a known hazardous situation, obstructing an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, and making false statements.
Synergy companies also face misdemeanor charges for the release of pollutants, including shipping containers and their contents, into the Patapsco River.
FBI’s investigation focused on the ship’s operations and whether the crew was aware of critical systems issues before leaving port. NTSB to create Two power outages disabled the massive cargo ship’s controls before it crashed into the bridge, he said.
The government alleges that the ship had experienced two power outages in port the day before, but that Synergy did not properly investigate or report them and provided false information to the NTSB.
Maryland officials guess what it might cost An amount between 4.3 billion and 5.2 billion dollars will be paid to replace the bridge, which is expected to be opened to traffic in late 2030.
“The altered skyline is a constant reminder of this tragedy,” Paul said.
But the true cost of the collapse was much greater, according to the Maryland Attorney General’s Office. It halted shipping at the Port of Baltimore, disrupted the livelihoods of thousands, rerouted highway traffic through communities already bearing disproportionate burdens, and triggered economic problems across the state.
The indictment comes on the heels of an agreement in principle reached between the State of Maryland, Synergy Marine and Grace Ocean Private Limited, Singapore-based shipowner Attorney General Anthony Brown announced in April.
that case He claimed that the accident was caused by negligence, mismanagement and careless operation of a ship that was unseaworthy and should never have left port. Plaintiffs include: families The cargo owners and local governments on the six deceased construction workers demanded compensation for economic losses. Details of the settlement were not disclosed and parts of the case remained unresolved.
The state sought damages on behalf of its agencies for the collapse of the bridge, damage to the Patapsco River and surrounding environment, and loss of income and economic losses to Maryland and its residents.
The attorney general’s office said in April that the settlement did not resolve claims the state had against shipbuilder Hyundai.
Bridge, a longstanding Baltimore landmarkIt was a vital piece of transportation infrastructure that allowed drivers to bypass the city center with ease. The original 1.6-mile (2.6-kilometer) steel span took five years to build and opened to traffic in 1977.
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White reported from Detroit.
