On the early hours of March 26, 2024, at approximately 1.30 am EDT, the MV Dali, a 984-foot container ship, crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, killing six construction workers who had been filling potholes on the bridge. The collapse took mere minutes.
Two years later, on May 12, 2026, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed a federal indictment that names two companies and one individual as criminally responsible, and two of the three defendants have direct Indian connections.
The indictment charges Synergy Marine Pte Ltd (Singapore), Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd (Chennai, India), and Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, 47, an Indian national who served as Technical Superintendent for the Dali across both companies.
The charge list includes conspiracy to defraud the United States, causing the deaths of six construction workers, wilfully failing to inform the US Coast Guard of a known hazardous condition, obstruction of the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation, and providing false statements and documents.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche described the disaster as entirely avoidable. "The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge was a preventable tragedy of enormous consequence," he said. "This indictment is a critical step toward holding accountable those whose reckless disregard for maritime safety regulations caused this disaster."
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The DOJ estimates economic loss from the crash at around $5 billion. According to prosecutors, the Dali lost power twice within a four-minute span as it left the Port of Baltimore. The first blackout was triggered by a loose wire in a high-voltage switchboard. But the second, fatal blackout was the result of what prosecutors describe as deliberate cost-cutting. The defendants allegedly replaced Dali's standard fuel supply pumps with a flushing pump to supply fuel to two of its four generators. The flushing pump was not designed to automatically restart after a blackout.
When the first blackout struck, the generators lost fuel supply and could not restart. The indictment states that if the proper fuel supply pumps had been in place, the Dali would have regained power in time to navigate safely under the bridge.
Prosecutors also allege that Synergy employees fabricated safety inspections and certifications related to vessel systems.
Separately, the State of Maryland reached a $2.25 billion settlement with Grace Ocean Private Limited (the ship's owner) and Synergy Marine on the eve of a June 1 civil trial. The settlement does not resolve Maryland's claims against the shipbuilder, Hyundai Heavy Industries.
The Indian connection
The Chennai-based entity, Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd, was one of the two companies directly operating the Dali and is now a named defendant in a US federal criminal case. More immediately consequential is the situation of Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, who US prosecutors believe is currently in India. US Attorney Kelly O. Hayes said, "We are going to enforce and use all the available law enforcement tools" to secure Nair's appearance in a US court.
This is where Indian law becomes central. India and the US do have a bilateral Extradition Treaty (signed 1997, in force 1999) and a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT).
However, India's track record of extraditing high-profile accused individuals to the US has historically moved slowly. Nair faces a maximum of five years for conspiracy, up to six years per Ports and Waterways Safety Act violation, and up to ten years for misconduct or neglect charges. However, US law mandates that "an indictment is merely an accusation" and that "all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law."
The DOJ's note that its Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in the investigation suggests Washington is already preparing the legal groundwork for an extradition request.
Synergy Marine denied wrongdoing, calling the allegations "inconsistent with the clear and well-documented findings of the specialist maritime investigators" and stating the disaster was "a maritime accident" rather than a crime. The company also questioned the indictment's timing, noting it came just weeks before the civil trial was due to begin.