DOJ announces charges in Key Bridge collapse

The Justice Department filed criminal charges against the global shipping company and its subsidiaries involved in the deadly 2024 crash of a cargo vessel into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The crash caused the bridge to collapse into the Patapsco River, killing six people and cutting off traffic to one of the nation’s largest shipping ports, resulting in billions of dollars in damages.

Federal prosecutors accused the Singapore-based company, Synergy Marine Group, and the MV Dali’s technical superintendent of safety violations as well as conspiring to cover them up.

In an indictment unsealed Tuesday, they are charged with conspiracy, willfully failing to immediately inform the Coast Guard of a known hazardous condition, obstruction of an agency proceeding and false statements.

“The government’s investigation also found that Synergy employees, including its shoreside technical managers, fabricated and directed the fabrication of safety inspections and certifications related to vessel systems,” U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland said at a press conference in Baltimore.

The 900-foot cargo vessel lost power twice before slamming into the Key Bridge in the early hours of March 26, 2024, as construction workers were fixing potholes on the bridge.

The National Transportation Safety Board concluded in its final report that a wire label had slid over a covering, preventing the wire from establishing a proper connection with the circuit breaker.

Six workers died when the bridge collapsed into the river, and the vital Port of Baltimore came to a standstill for two months.

“The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge was a preventable tragedy of enormous consequence,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. This indictment is a critical step toward holding accountable those whose reckless disregard for maritime safety regulations caused this disaster.”

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