Federal prosecutors have charged a Singapore-based shipping company and one of its crew members for the March 2024 collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which killed six workers and caused $5 billion in damages. The indictment alleges unprofessional maintenance by the foreign crew directly caused the catastrophic accident.

Negligent Maintenance Caused Disaster

The Justice Department charged Synergy Marine Pte Ltd and technical superintendent Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair with conspiracy to defraud, obstruction, and failing to notify the Coast Guard of hazardous conditions aboard the containership Dali. According to the indictment, a loose wire in a high-voltage switchboard triggered the first power loss as the vessel departed Baltimore’s port. The ship’s critical systems were designed with automatic restart capabilities, but the crew had improperly modified the fuel supply system.

The defendants allegedly relied on a flushing pump to supply fuel to two of the Dali’s four generators—a pump never designed for automatic restart after blackouts. When power failed a second time within four minutes, the generators couldn’t restart. The indictment states that if proper fuel supply pumps had been used, the vessel would have regained power in time to safely navigate under the bridge.

Cover-Up Allegations

Prosecutors allege Synergy and Nair obstructed the National Transportation Safety Board’s casualty investigation by providing false statements and documents. Nair specifically denied knowing the Dali used the flushing pump for fuel supply, despite the indictment claiming otherwise. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche called the collapse a preventable tragedy caused by reckless disregard for safety protocols.

Immigration Policy Under Scrutiny

The disaster highlights federal policies allowing American and foreign companies to hire foreign workers for critical infrastructure positions. The practice enables companies to reduce labor costs while operating in American waters and ports. Similar visa programs now fill positions throughout the electrical grid, hospitals, air traffic systems, and computer security sectors. Six migrant workers died when the bridge collapsed after the power failures prevented the crew from steering away from the support structure.