NEW DELHI (dpa-AFX) - A U.S. Federal court has indicted Singapore-based ship management company Synergy Marine over the deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland two years ago.
Prosecutors filed criminal charges against Synergy Marine Private Ltd. based in Singapore, and Synergy Maritime private Ltd, based in the Indian city of Chennai, along with Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, an Indian national who worked for both companies as the Technical Superintendent of container ship MV Dali that knocked down the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
They have been charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States and with causing the death of six construction workers on the bridge, among other charges.
The disaster took place after midnight on March 26, 2024, when the main spans of the bridge collapsed after MV Dali lost power and struck one of its piers.
Six members of a maintenance crew working on the bridge were killed in the disaster.
The collapse, which blocked the Patapsco shipping channel, immediately halted almost all passenger and cargo shipping to the Port of Baltimore.
The remnants are being demolished and a replacement bridge is being built at the site, with completion scheduled in late 2030.
The indictment alleges that a $5 billion economic loss was incurred due to the accident.
The defendants are charged with conspiracy, wilfully failing to immediately inform the U.S. Coast Guard of a known hazardous condition, obstruction of an agency proceeding, and false statements. The two Synergy corporations are also charged with misdemeanour violations of the Clean Water Act, Oil Pollution Act, and Refuse Act for the discharge of pollutants into the Patapsco River, including shipping containers and their contents, oil, and the bridge itself.
'The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge was a preventable tragedy of enormous consequence,' said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. 'This indictment is a critical step toward holding accountable those whose reckless disregard for maritime safety regulations caused this disaster. Six construction workers lost their lives, critical infrastructure was destroyed, pollutants were released into the Patapsco River and Chesapeake Bay, and the economic damage now exceeds five billion dollars. This Department is committed to securing justice for the victims and ensuring those responsible are held to account.'
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