“As alleged, the bridge was struck and collapsed because those who were responsible for the ship’s operation deliberately cut corners at the expense of safety,” said Jimmy Paul, head of the FBI’s Baltimore office.
The companies and Nair are charged with conspiracy, wilfully failing to immediately inform the US Coast Guard of a known hazardous condition, obstructing an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and making false statements.
The Synergy companies are also charged with misdemeanours for the release of pollutants into the Patapsco River, including shipping containers and their contents.
The FBI’s investigation focused on the vessel’s operations and whether the crew knew of critical systems issues before leaving port. The NTSB found that the two electrical blackouts disabled the controls of the huge cargo ship before it crashed into the bridge.
The ship had experienced two blackouts in port a day earlier, but Synergy didn’t investigate or report those as required and provided false information to the NTSB, the government alleges.
