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Ship operators involved in Baltimore bridge collapse charged with misconduct and obstruction
BALTIMORE — The Justice Department on Tuesday announced 18 charges against the operators of the 100,000-plus-ton cargo ship that crashed into a Maryland bridge more than two years ago, causing it to collapse and killing six people.
Federal prosecutors said they were charging the international companies Synergy Marine Pte Ltd and Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd, as well as ship technical superintendent Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair. The charges included conspiracy and misconduct or neglect of ship officers that resulted in death and obstruction.
The two companies and technical superintendent were also charged with conspiracy, willfully failing to immediately inform the U.S. Coast Guard of a known hazardous condition, obstruction of an agency proceeding, and false statements, according to a statement announcing the charges.
The companies were also accused of misdemeanor violations of the Clean Water Act, Oil Pollution Act and Refuse Act, the department said. Those charges are related to the discharge of pollutants into Maryland’s Patapsco River, including the shipping containers, their contents, oil and the bridge itself.
The 900-foot ship Dali lost power twice and slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the early hours of March 26, 2024, as a work crew was fixing potholes.
Six construction workers died when the bridge went crumbling down into the Patapsco River. Another construction worker fell into the waters below and sustained serious injuries but survived, while an inspector working as a subcontractor for the Maryland Transportation Authority escaped the collapse without injuries. The nearly two dozen crew members on the ship survived, along with two pilots who were helping the vessel navigate the harbor.
The construction workers were Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, Carlos Daniel Hernandez Estrella, Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, Jose Mynor Lopez, Miguel Angel Luna, Maynor Yasir Suazo Sandoval and survivor Julio Cervantes Suarez.
Cervantes Suarez told NBC News in July 2024 that the men who died, who were all Latino, included his nephew, brother-in-law and friends he had known for years.
“Alejandro, Miguel, Dorlian, Maynor, Carlos and Jose were making our roads safer when they lost their lives on that fateful day in March 2024,” said Jimmy Paul, a special agent in charge with the FBI’s Baltimore field office. “The collapse should never have happened.”
The collapse brought the critically important Baltimore port to a standstill for two months and reconstruction of the bridge is ongoing.
“The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge was a preventable tragedy of enormous consequence,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement announcing the charges. “This indictment is a critical step toward holding accountable those whose reckless disregard for maritime safety regulations caused this disaster. Six construction workers lost their lives, critical infrastructure was destroyed, pollutants were released into the Patapsco River and Chesapeake Bay, and the economic damage now exceeds five billion dollars.”
“This Department is committed to securing justice for the victims and ensuring those responsible are held to account,” he said.
The company Synergy Marine Pte Ltd is based in Singapore and Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd is based in Chennai, India, according to prosecutors. Nair, 47, is an Indian national who was a technical superintendent of both companies.
Prosecutors said they believe the ship’s technical superintendent is in India and that they would use all available law enforcement tools to bring him to the U.S. to face charges.
A National Transportation Safety Board report determined that the 947-foot-long Singapore-flagged cargo ship was transiting out of Baltimore harbor when it lost power and propulsion before striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Maryland U.S. Attorney Kelly Hayes said at the news conference Tuesday that the defendants allegedly altered the ship in a way that meant it could not regain power after the second blackout in order to avoid crashing into the bridge in time.
Cervantes Suarez said he hopes people remember those who died.
“I knew all of them, they were families. They were good people, good workers and had good values,” he said.
Gary Grumbach, Tom Costello and Owen Hayes reported from Baltimore. Daniella Silva reported from New York City.