The company that operated the ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in 2024, causing the span to collapse, is now facing federal criminal charges.
The Department of Justice filed charges against Synergy Marine Group, accusing the company of failing to maintain proper systems on the Dali and other vessels it operates, The Washington Post reported.
Because of the failures, the Dali was unable to handle a system blackout and could not avoid the bridge on March 26, 2024. Six construction workers filling potholes on the bridge were killed when it collapsed, The Associated Press reported.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined that two electrical blackouts disabled the controls of the ship. One issue involved a loose wire on the ship; the other was problems with a fuel pump, the AP reported.
The lawsuit also claims the company falsified safety inspection records and lied to investigators.
Synergy Marine Group and the ship’s technical supervisor, Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, are facing charges including conspiracy, misconduct or neglect of ship officers resulting in death, violations of the Clean Water Act and Waterways Safety Act, and obstruction of an agency proceeding, the Post reported.
The charges follow a settlement in principle between Maryland, Synergy Marine and Grace Ocean Private Limited, the shipowner, the AP reported.
The bridge is expected to reopen in 2030 and will cost between $4.3 billion and $5.2 billion, according to the AP.
Check back for more on this developing story.
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