A federal grand jury in the District of Maryland unsealed a criminal indictment on May 12, 2026, charging Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd., and technical superintendent Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair in connection with the March 2024 collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, which killed six construction workers [1][2]. The indictment charges the defendants with conspiracy, willfully failing to notify the U.S. Coast Guard of a known hazardous condition aboard the container ship Dali, obstruction, and making false statements [1][2]. On the same day, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced that the state had finalized a $2.25 billion civil settlement with Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and Synergy Marine, resolving Maryland's claims arising from the disaster [1][2][3].
The criminal charges proceed under federal maritime statutes and obstruction provisions that impose affirmative duties on vessel operators and their shore-side personnel to report conditions that endanger navigation or life [2]. The Dali lost power before striking the Key Bridge's support structure in the early-morning hours of March 26, 2024, dropping the bridge into the Patapsco River and killing the six workers, who were filling potholes on the span at the time of impact [1][2]. The indictment targets the management companies responsible for the vessel's technical operations, not its registered owner, Grace Ocean, which is named separately in the civil settlement but not as a criminal defendant [1][3]. The FBI participated in the investigation supporting the prosecution [1].
The civil settlement, described by Attorney General Brown as a resolution of the state's claims, represents one of the largest maritime-disaster settlements in U.S. history [1][3]. The agreement concludes Maryland's direct civil exposure without proceeding to trial on liability, though separate claims by victims' families and other parties may remain pending [1][2]. U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes oversaw the criminal matter for the District of Maryland, and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche was identified in connection with the Justice Department's role in the proceedings [1][2].
The criminal defendants face arraignment and the prospect of substantial fines and, in Nair's case, potential imprisonment [2]. Defense counsel has not yet entered public responses to the charges on the record. The civil settlement requires court approval before funds are disbursed, and the precise allocation among state agencies, infrastructure accounts, and other claimants has not been publicly detailed [1][3]. The parallel criminal and civil tracks will now proceed on separate schedules, with the indictment advancing toward pretrial motions in the federal district court in Baltimore [2].