Chief Engineer Karthikeyan Deenadayalan Charged Over Baltimore Key Bridge Collapse

Prosecutors in the U.S. District Court for Maryland filed a criminal charge against Karthikeyan Deenadayalan, the chief engineer of the cargo ship Dali, accusing him of willfully failing to notify the U.S. Coast Guard of a hazardous fuel‑pump condition on the vessel. The Dali lost power twice while departing the Port of Baltimore on March 26, 2024, struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge and caused its collapse, killing six construction workers.

The charge cites a violation of the federal Port and Waterways Safety Act and includes a notice of a deferred prosecution agreement, though its terms were not disclosed. The indictment also covers Singapore‑based ship operator Synergy Marine, its subsidiary Synergy Maritime, and former technical superintendent Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, who face conspiracy and misconduct charges. A trial for the corporate defendants is scheduled for October 2027. In April, the state of Maryland, Synergy Marine and Singapore‑based Grace Ocean reached a $2.25 billion settlement related to the disaster.

The case underscores ongoing legal and financial ramifications stemming from the bridge collapse.