Ship operators involved in Baltimore bridge collapse charged with misconduct and obstruction

BREAKING NEWSMay. 12, 2026, 2:09 PM UTCU.S. newsU.S. newsShip operators involved in Baltimore bridge collapse charged with misconduct and obstructionThe Justice Department brought 18 charges against the operators and a manager relating to a 2024 collision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge that killed six people.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00The steel frame of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge sits on top of a container ship in Baltimore on March 26, 2024.Jim Watson / AFP - Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleBy Gary Grumbach, Tom Costello, Owen Hayes and Daniella SilvaBALTIMORE — The Department of Justice announced on Tuesday 18 charges against the operators of the 100,000-plus-ton cargo ship that crashed into a Maryland bridge more than two years ago, causing it to collapse and killing six people.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Federal prosecutors said they were charging the international companies Synergy Marine Pte Ltd and Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd, as well as ship technical superintendent Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, with conspiracy, willfully failing to immediately inform the U.S. Coast Guard of a known hazardous condition, obstruction of an agency proceeding, and false statements. The two companies were also charged with misdemeanor violations of the Clean Water Act, Oil Pollution Act, and Refuse Act, the department said. Those charges are related to the discharge of pollutants into Maryland’s Patapsco River, including the shipping containers, their contents, oil and the bridge itself.The 900-foot ship Dali lost power twice and slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the early hours of March 26, 2024, as a work crew was fixing potholes. Six construction workers died when the bridge went crumbling down into the Patapsco River. Another construction worker fell into the waters below and sustained serious injuries but survived, while an inspector working as a...