Singaporean, Indian firms charged with conspiracy and causing deaths of 6 workers
The Dali cargo vessel, which crashed into the Baltimore area's Francis Scott Key Bridge and caused it to collapse, in April 2024. © Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday a grand jury indicted two foreign operators and a shoreside superintendent in the March 2024 collision of the 984-foot cargo ship Dali that destroyed Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge and killed six construction workers.
The Justice Department said the collision caused at least $5 billion 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, are 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.
