The chief engineer of the container ship “Dali” has admitted that his actions violated U.S. maritime safety laws and constitute a criminal offense. The vessel collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore last year.
Karthikeyan Deenadayalan, an Indian national and the chief engineer of the “Dali” at the time, has reached a deferred prosecution agreement with U.S. authorities. In the agreement, he admitted to failing to report dangerous conditions on the ship to the U.S. Coast Guard, a violation of the Ports and Waterways Safety Act.
Last month, a U.S. court unsealed a criminal indictment against three defendants in connection with the March 2024 incident, which killed six construction workers and caused the Key Bridge to collapse. This agreement is the latest development in the related cases.
Court documents show that Deenadayalan admitted he was aware of safety hazards in the fuel supply system of the “Dali” and its sister ships “Maersk Saltoro” and “Cezanne,” specifically involving a flushing pump unit.
Prosecutors stated that the flushing pump had no redundant backup design, and in the event of a loss of shipboard power, it would severely impact the vessel’s ability to restore propulsion.
Deenadayalan admitted that he knew such a malfunction could threaten not only the safety of the ship itself but also “any bridge, structure, or shoreline area,” yet he still failed to report the hazard to the Coast Guard.
The statement of facts also disclosed details of communications between Deenadayalan and personnel from Synergy, including Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, who has been separately indicted in this case.
Prosecutors alleged that Nair instructed Deenadayalan to send a “plausible” email to the vessel’s charterer to avoid further scrutiny of fuel consumption data and to conceal the improper use of the flushing pump.
Under the deferred prosecution agreement, criminal proceedings against Deenadayalan will be suspended as long as he complies with the terms of the agreement.
The loss of power on the “Dali” was a precursor to the bridge collapse, and this case is part of a broader federal investigation into the cause of the incident. U.S. authorities have also filed criminal charges against Synergy Maritime and Synergy Marine, the companies responsible for managing the vessel.
The “Dali” is owned by Grace Ocean and managed by Synergy Marine. Shortly after departing the Port of Baltimore, the vessel suffered a complete loss of power and subsequently struck a bridge pier, resulting in one of the most severe maritime accidents in the United States in recent years.
