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The federal government has filed charges in the deadly 2024 bridge collapse in Baltimore. Six people died when a huge cargo ship lost power and crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge. A federal grand jury has indicted the companies operating this ship and the vessel's superintendent. Scott Maucione of member station WYPR reports.
SCOTT MAUCIONE, BYLINE: The Justice Department brought charges against two companies operated by Synergy Marine Group in Singapore and the ship's superintendent, an Indian national. They're charged with conspiracy, not telling the Coast Guard of a known hazardous condition and providing false statements to the government during the investigation. Kelly Hayes, the U.S. attorney for Maryland, says the ship's operators knowingly used the wrong kind of pump to fuel the ship's generators, making it unable to restart after it lost power and crashed into the bridge, knocking a large section of the 1.6-mile span into the water.
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KELLY HAYES: Synergy employees, including its shoreside technical managers, fabricated and directed the fabrication of safety inspections and certifications related to vessel systems.
MAUCIONE: The DOJ alleges the companies were aware of unsafe practices on at least three vessels, dating as far back as 2020. Synergy's also accused of violating the Clean Water and Oil Pollution Acts for contaminants that seeped into the Patapsco River. The corporations could be liable for $10 billion in fines. The DOJ's trying to extradite the superintendent from India. In a statement, Synergy says it will vigorously defend itself from what it called inaccurate allegations. Martin Davies, a maritime lawyer at Tulane University, says the indictment's complex because the defendants are all out of the country.
MARTIN DAVIES: There will be jurisdictional issues if the defendants simply don't make an appearance.
MAUCIONE: All of this is happening as the city of Baltimore and the victims' families are suing Synergy and the ship owner, Grace Ocean Private, for restitution. The state of Maryland already settled its civil case with the businesses for $2.25 billion. The replacement bridge is projected to be finished in 2030.
For NPR News, I'm Scott Maucione in Baltimore.
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