The Department of Justice(DOJ) filed criminal charges against Singapore shipping company Synergy Marine Group for its alleged responsibility in the Francis bridge collapse Scott Key from Baltimore, tragedy occurred in March 2024 that left six Hispanic workers dead and paralyzed one of the country's most maritime routes.for weeks.

The federal indictment alleges that the company operated the Dali containership under unsafe conditions and that it also falsified inspection records and hidden key information from U.S. authorities after the accident.

According to prosecutors, the ship suffered two blackouts in just four minutes before hitting one of the ship's support structures. The bridge, causing the collapse of the infrastructure and the fall of several vehicles into the Patapsco river during the morning on 26 March 2024.

“The collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge was an avoidable tragedy with enormous consequences,” acting attorney-general Todd Blanche said in a statement disclosed this Tuesday. The official assured that the case seeks to establish responsibilities for “reckless negligence” in maritime security matters.

Prosecutor's Office points out mechanical failures and cover-up

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation concluded that the Dali lost power due or a defective cable and problems in a fuel pump used by the crew to power the ship's generators.

The judicial documents state that the vessel was not authorized to operate with that system, because the pump used could not be restarted automatically after After a blackout. Prosecutors argue that, if the proper fuel and system had been used, the ship would have recovered power before the impact against the bridge.

Furthermore, the indictment alleges that Synergy Marine employees knew of the failures related to the fuel pumps and took measures to conceal the problem both on the Dali and on other ships in the fleet.

The ship's technical supervisor, Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, also faces criminal charges related to conspiracy, obstruction of justice and negligent conduct resulting in death.

In response, the company denied the accusations and assured that it will defend its actions before the courts. In statements sent to the American media en and British, Synergy called the process an attempt to “criminalize a tragic accident” and claimed that the accusations “are baseless.”

The collapse left millionaire economic impact

The collapse of the bridge not only left fatal victims, but also generated severe economic consequences for Maryland and for the logistics chain of the east coast of the United States.

The Baltimore port remained partially blocked for weeks, affecting the movement of goods, vehicles and containers in one of the country's busier maritime hubs.

State authorities estimate that the reconstruction of the bridge could cost between $4.3bn and 5.2bn dollars, while the full reopening to traffic is not expected until the end 2030.

Parallel to the criminal process, Maryland reached a civil agreement for 2.25 billion dollars with Synergy Marine Group for reso lver claims related to environmental damage, loss of income due to tolls and economic affects derived from the disaster.

The owner of the Dali also previously disbursed more than 100 million dollars to the Department of Justice to resolve federal civil claims, in addition to another 350 million paid to the state of Maryland's insurer.

As investigations and judicial proceedings continue, the Francis Scott Key bridge collapse remains one of the costlier and devastating maritime accidents recorded in the United States in recent decades.