US charges S’pore, Indian firms and employee with crimes linked to 2024 collapse of Baltimore bridge

WASHINGTON – The US Justice Department said on May 12 a grand jury indicted two companies and an individual in the March 2024 collision of the 300m cargo ship Dali that destroyed Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, killing six construction workers and destroying the span.

The Justice Department said the collision caused billions of dollars in damage and significant environmental damage. The National Transportation Safety Board found a single loose wire in the electrical system caused a breaker to unexpectedly open, launching a sequence of events that led to two vessel blackouts and a loss of propulsion and steering.

Synergy Marine, based in Singapore, and Synergy Maritime, based in Chennai, India, along with Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, 47, an Indian national who worked for both companies as the technical superintendent for the Dali, were charged with conspiracy, wilfully failing to immediately inform the US Coast Guard of a known hazardous condition, obstruction of an agency proceeding, and false statements.

The two Synergy corporations were also charged with misdemeanour 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. REUTERS