Baltimore bridge collapse: US DOJ charges ship operators with misconduct, obstruction

In a major setback to the ship operators of the Baltimore bridge collapse, which occurred more than two years ago, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday announced 18 charges against them, NBC News reported.

International companies like Synergy Marine Pte Ltd and Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd, along with ship technical superintendent Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, were charged by the federal prosecutors for conspiracy, willfully failing to inform the US Coast Guard of a known hazardous condition, obstruction of an agency proceeding, and false statements.

At least six people were killed after the 100,000-plus-tonne cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The accident also cut off traffic to one of the US's largest shipping ports, CNN reported, citing officials, who added that it will cost billions to rebuild the bridge.

Additionally, Syngery Marine Pte Ltd and Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd were also charged with misdemeanour violations under the Clean Water Act, Oil Pollution Act, and Refuse Act, the DOJ said. These charges are related to the release of pollutants into Maryland's Patapsco River, including the shipping containers, their contents, oil, and the bridge itself.

US Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland at a press conference in Baltimore today said, "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." She added that investigators believe that Nair, who is a 47-year-old Indian national, is in India.

Hayes noted, "We are going to enforce and use all our available law enforcement tools” to try to get him.

What did the court documents reveal?

The DOJ said that, according to the court documents, the defendants allegedly modified the ship and used a flushing pump to supply fuel to two of the Dali’s four generators. Because the pump was not designed to restart automatically after a blackout, the generators lost their fuel supply, causing the ship to suffer a second blackout.

The department added that if the ship had not been relying on the flushing pump, power would have been restored, thereby preventing the crash.

Announcing the charges, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said, "The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge was a preventable tragedy of enormous consequence." He added, "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.”

Baltimore bridge collapse

After the bridge collapse occurred on March 26, 2024, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Coast Guard launched a criminal investigation. Several crew members, who weren't US nationals, were asked to remain in the country as the agencies carried out a probe.

In December 2025, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its final report in connection with the incident, which concluded that a wire label had slid over a covering, which kept that wire from establishing a proper connection with the circuit breaker. As a result, this caused power outages on the ship, the "Dali", as it was leaving the port of Baltimore. Despite the crew’s failed efforts to “recover propulsion from the loss of electrical power,” the report says, the Dali careened into the bridge minutes later.

Six construction workers were killed after the bridge crumbled down into the Patapsco River, and another construction worker fell into the waters below and sustained severe injuries but survived. An inspector working as a subcontractor for the Maryland Transportation Authority managed to escape the collapse without any injuries. The nearly two dozen crew members on the ship survived, along with two pilots who were helping the vessel navigate the harbor.

Prosecutors said Synergy Marine Pte Ltd operates out of Singapore, while Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd is headquartered in Chennai. Nair, an Indian national, served as a technical superintendent for both firms.