Federal prosecutors unsealed a criminal indictment on May 12, 2026, charging Singapore-based Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd., and technical superintendent Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair with conspiracy, obstruction, and causing the deaths of six construction workers in the March 2024 collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge [1][2]. The indictment, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, marks the first criminal prosecution of corporate ship operators arising from a major U.S. infrastructure collapse [2]. On the same day, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced the state had finalized a $2.25 billion civil settlement with Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and Synergy Marine, resolving the state's civil claims over the disaster [1][3].
The criminal charges center on the operators of the container ship Dali, which lost power and struck the Key Bridge's support column in the early morning hours of March 26, 2024, triggering the span's collapse and killing six members of a road repair crew [1][2]. Prosecutors allege that Synergy entities and Nair, who served as the vessel's technical superintendent, conspired to conceal the ship's known electrical deficiencies from regulators and obstructed the subsequent federal investigation [2]. The charges invoke federal maritime statutes as well as obstruction provisions, establishing a theory of corporate criminal liability for pre-voyage maintenance failures [2].
The parallel civil settlement, confirmed by Attorney General Brown, resolves Maryland's claims against Grace Ocean, the ship's registered owner, and Synergy Marine, the vessel's manager [1][3]. The $2.25 billion figure represents one of the largest civil recoveries in Maryland history and follows separate federal civil proceedings in which the Dali's owners had sought to limit their liability under the Limitation of Liability Act [1]. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes appeared at the Justice Department announcement [2].
The criminal indictment remains subject to arraignment proceedings, and defense counsel for Synergy and Nair had not entered public responses as of the announcement [2]. The civil settlement requires court approval before funds are disbursed to the state and to families of the victims [1]. Prosecutors have not ruled out additional charges against other individuals connected to the vessel's operation or ownership chain [2].