Companies, Superintendent Indicted in Key Bridge Collapse

Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment Tuesday charging two international shipping companies and a ship technical superintendent with offenses linked to the March 26, 2024, collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, which killed six construction workers.

The charges target Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., based in Singapore, and Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd., based in Chennai, India, along with Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, a 47-year-old Indian national who served as technical superintendent for the container ship Dali. The defendants face counts of conspiracy, willfully failing to notify the U.S. Coast Guard of a known hazardous condition, obstruction of an agency proceeding, and false statements. The companies also face misdemeanor environmental charges under the Clean Water Act, Oil Pollution Act, and Refuse Act related to pollutants released into the Patapsco River, including oil, shipping containers, and bridge debris.

The nearly 1,000-foot Dali struck a bridge support pillar at about 1:30 a.m. while departing the Port of Baltimore bound for Sri Lanka. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that two electrical blackouts within minutes disabled the ship's...