Criminal trial set for October 2027 for operator of ship in Baltimore's Key Bridge collapse
The criminal trial for the operator of the ship involved in Baltimore's 2024 Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse is set to begin in October 2027, a judge said Tuesday.
The jury trial is scheduled to begin on Oct. 4, 2027, and is expected to last until November 19, 2027.
In May, the operator of the container ship Dali — Synergy Maritime Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited — and an employee were named in a federal indictment that charged them with conspiracy, obstruction, and violating the Ports and Waterways Safety Act.
The indictment accuses the company and employee Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair of concealing dangerous conditions on the ship, falsifying inspection records, evading maritime safety requirements, and operating the ship despite known hazards.
During a court hearing Tuesday, Synergy indicated it wants to separate its criminal trial from Nair's. Officials said Nair has not been brought to the U.S. yet.
"We will do everything we can within our power to bring Mr. Nair to justice in the United States," Department of Justice attorneys said during the hearing.
Criminal charges in Key Bridge collapse
In announcing the charges against Synergy and Nair, federal officials emphasized that the collapse of the Key Bridge in March 2024 "was not some unavoidable accident, but the result of horrendous corporate conduct."
Six construction workers died after the ship lost power and crashed into the Key Bridge, sending it collapsing into the Patapsco River.
According to an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Dali lost power at least four times in the hours before it collided with the Key Bridge.
Officials said the ship regained power after the first outage due to redundancies, but according to the indictment, the ship was using a fuel pump at the time that did not have redundancies.
Had the Dali been using the proper pump, it would have been able to regain power and maneuver under the bridge, according to the indictment.
"As alleged in the indictment, the use of the flushing pump, a non-redundant fuel supply pump, was a hazardous condition under U.S. Coast Guard regulation and a violation of international law," said Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for Maryland.
The indictment further alleges that the company used the incorrect pump on three of its other ships, and that employees knew about this and the associated risks.
According to the indictment, employees, including Nair, tried to hide the use of the pump before and after the crash by falsifying safety inspections and providing false documents to the NTSB and a federal grand jury.
In early June, a judge delayed the civil trial for claims related to the Key Bridge collapse after Synergy and the ship's owner, Grace Ocean, requested delays after the criminal charges were filed.
