Owner, operator of ship in Baltimore's Key Bridge collapse seek to delay civil trial after criminal indictment

The owner and operator of the container ship involved in the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge are requesting that their civil trial be delayed after criminal charges were unsealed. 

In a motion filed Monday, the owner of the Dali, Grace Ocean Private Limited, and its operator, Synergy Marine Private Limited, requested a delay in the trial, which is set to begin June 1. 

Criminal charges in Key Bridge collapse 

Last week, federal charges were unsealed against operator Synergy and an employee, alleging that they violated the Ports and Waterways Safety Act by concealing dangerous conditions on the ship, falsifying inspection reports and evading maritime safety requirements. 

The indictment further claimed that the company used the wrong fuel pump, which prevented the ship from regaining power after an outage just before it hit the Key Bridge in March 2024. The ship had experienced at least four power outages in the hours before the collision, investigators found. 

Six construction workers died during the incident. 

In the court documents, the companies say the allegations are "unfounded and strenuously denied." 

Request to delay civil trial 

In their request, the companies claim that the criminal case will interfere with their ability to defend themselves in the civil case. 

"The investigation alone has had a significant, detrimental impact on both petitioners, and unsealing the indictment so close in time to trial continues to negatively impact both petitioners and the trial in this action," the document read. 

The document also claims that Grace Ocean Private Limited, which was not named in the criminal indictment, "has had its ability to present a defense in this case substantially impacted as well." 

In their request, the parties argue that both cases stem from the same incident and rely on the same facts, including the cause of the collision, whether Synergy's operation and management was negligent and whether Synergy knew about any negligence or dangerous conditions. 

"Requiring Synergy to defend itself in concurrent criminal and civil cases would severely prejudice its ability to fully and daily defend itself in both proceedings, while at the same time waste judicial resources," the document said. 

The companies also claim that the criminal indictment had a "dramatic chilling effect on fact witnesses," impacting both companies' ability to present their case at trial. 

Synergy and Grace are requesting that a judge delay the civil trial until the criminal trial is resolved, or delay the case for at least 90 days to allow the companies to evaluate "whether they can obtain immunity or some other protection for any of Synergy's employee fact witnesses, such that they would agree to travel to the U.S. to attend trial." 

The civil trial will determine if the companies can limit their liability to $44 million. 

The families of the six victims who died in the collapse will have a chance to respond before the judge's decision, according to our partners at the Baltimore Banner. 

The Key Bridge rebuild project is estimated to cost about $4.3 to $5.2 billion and be completed in 2030.