MD Reaches Settlement With Owner, Operator Of Ship In Key Bridge Collapse

BALTIMORE, MD — Maryland officials on Tuesday said the state has reached a final settlement with the owner and operator of the container ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in 2024, causing a span of it to collapse into the river below.

The $2.25 billion settlement with Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited, the owner and operator of the Dali, came just hours after the U.S. Department of Justice filed federal criminal charges against the companies.

In a statement, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said the settlement resolves claims brought by his office on behalf of multiple agencies, including the Maryland Transportation Authority and the Maryland Port Administration.

The settlement does not resolve claims against the Dali's shipbuilder, Hyundai Heavy Industries, which the National Transportation Safety Board found to be at fault after the Dali lost power and collided with the bridge.

“The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sent shockwaves through Maryland and caused damages on a scale this State had never seen,” Brown said in a statement. “This $2.25 billion settlement reflects the full measure of accountability we were able to secure from the vessel interests — and our pursuit of justice is not finished. We will continue to press our claims against the shipbuilder whose fault helped bring this bridge down.”

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A portion of the Key Bridge collapsed after it was struck by the Dali, which suffered two electrical blackouts that led to major equipment failure hours before the collision.

The collapse killed six highway workers who were on the bridge patching potholes on Interstate 695 when the collision happened in the early morning hours of March 26, 2024.

Findings by the National Transportation Safety Board revealed the bridge collapsed about 13 seconds after being hit. One worker described the impact of the Dali ship as a "crumbling thunder noise."

More than two years later, a rebuilding timeline expects the bridge to be restored by late 2030. The cost of rebuilding exceeds $5 billion.

On Tuesday morning, the DOJ announced criminal charges against Synergy Marine Private Limited, Synergy Maritime Private Limited and 47-year-old Indian national Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, who worked as a technical superintendent for the Dali.

The Synergy group and Karthik Nair were charged with conspiracy, willfully failing to immediately inform the U.S. Coast Guard of a known hazardous condition, obstruction of an agency proceeding, and making false statements.

Additionally, the two Synergy companies are being charged with violating the Clean Water Act, the Oil Pollution Act, and the Refuse Act for discharging pollutants into the Patapsco River.

The charges were announced in a joint news conference with the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland and the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division.

• RELATED: Key Bridge Collapse: Criminal Charges Filed Against Dali Operator