A federal grand jury in Maryland unsealed an indictment on May 12, 2026, charging Singapore-based Synergy Marine Pte Ltd, India-based Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd, and the vessel's technical superintendent, Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, in connection with the March 2024 collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge [1]. The collapse killed six construction workers and ranks as the deadliest U.S. bridge disaster in decades [1][2]. Alleged economic losses from the incident total at least $5 billion [1].
The indictment centers on the operation of the M/V Dali and charges the defendants with conspiracy to defraud the United States and causing the deaths of the six workers [1]. Prosecutors allege that the companies directed crew members to use an improperly rigged flushing pump, rather than the vessel's designated fuel supply pumps, to deliver fuel to the ship's generators [1][2]. That configuration, the government contends, caused a second power blackout aboard the Dali as it transited the Patapsco River, leaving the vessel unable to avoid striking the bridge's support structure [1]. Beyond the mechanical allegations, the indictment charges that the defendants fabricated safety inspection records and made false statements to National Transportation Safety Board investigators, constituting obstruction of the federal inquiry [1][3]. The charges carry the authority of statutes governing conspiracy to defraud federal agencies, obstruction of official proceedings, and seaman's manslaughter [1].
The investigation was conducted by FBI Baltimore, the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, and the EPA Criminal Investigation Division [1]. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland, with leadership from the Justice Department in Washington [1][2]. Synergy Marine has publicly objected to the charges, characterizing them as legally and factually contested [3]. Nair, a national of India, is named as the individual most directly responsible for the vessel's technical management decisions during the relevant period [1].
With the indictment unsealed, the case now moves to arraignment and the pretrial phase in the District of Maryland [2]. The obstruction allegations, if proven, would significantly complicate any defense that relies on the contemporaneous inspection records, as prosecutors will argue those documents were fabricated after the casualty [1][3]. Civil litigation arising from the collapse, including claims by the families of the deceased workers and by parties asserting infrastructure losses, remains ongoing and is expected to be shaped by the factual record developed in the criminal proceeding [2][3].