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Synergy Marine Charged in Federal Probe of 2024 Baltimore Bridge Collapse
Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment Tuesday charging the operator of the MV Dali with conspiracy to defraud the United States, failing to inform the Coast Guard of a hazardous condition, false statements and obstruction. The charges, the first criminal case tied to the disaster that killed six workers, center on the ship's improper use of a flushing pump for generator fuel.
May 12, 10:00 AM·2m read1 source
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U.S. Coast Guard of a known hazardous condition, false statements and obstructing an agency proceeding. Technical superintendent Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, a national of India, was also indicted.
CBS News reported that the charges mark the first criminal charges in connection with the MV Dali crash. The MV Dali lost power and slammed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024 while heading out to sea from the Port of Baltimore early that morning. Six highway construction workers died in the collision.
A project to replace the Francis Scott Key Bridge is expected to cost billions of dollars and take until the end of the decade. Federal prosecutors allege the defendants improperly used a flushing pump to supply diesel to two of the Dali's generators rather than the vessel's proper fuel supply pumps.
The company and Nair were also charged with obstruction and making false statements during a National Transportation Safety Board investigation.
Nair is accused of telling the NTSB that he didn't know the flushing pump was used to supply fuel. An NTSB report blames the crash on two onboard power outages. The first outage was caused by a loose wire in the ship's switchboard that became disconnected.
The loose wire caused the Dali's main engine to shut down because the pumps that supplied water to cool the engine turned off. The ship's steering system was briefly offline. The crew restored power quickly after the first outage.
