Dali chief engineer admits criminal conduct in Key Bridge case

Dali chief engineer admits criminal conduct in Key Bridge case
Sam Chambers June 19, 2026 https://splash247.com/dali-chief-engineer-admits-criminal-conduct-in-key...

The chief engineer of the containership Dali has admitted conduct constituting a criminal violation of US maritime safety laws in connection with the vessel’s allision with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge last year.

Karthikeyan Deenadayalan, an Indian national who served as chief engineer aboard the Dali, entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with US authorities under which he admitted failing to report a hazardous condition to the US Coast Guard, a violation of the Ports and Waterways Safety Act.

The agreement follows the unsealing last month of a criminal indictment against three defendants linked to the March 2024 disaster, which killed six construction workers and caused the collapse of the Key Bridge.

According to court documents, Deenadayalan admitted he was aware that the Dali and sister vessels Maersk Saltoro and Cezanne were operating with an unsafe fuel supply arrangement involving a flushing pump.

Prosecutors said the pump lacked redundancy, compromising the vessels’ ability to safely recover from a loss of power.

Deenadayalan admitted he understood that such a failure could affect not only the safety of the vessel but also “any bridge, structure, or shore area” and that he failed to report the condition to the Coast Guard.

The statement of facts also details communications between Deenadayalan and Synergy personnel, including Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, who has been separately charged in the case.

According to prosecutors, Nair instructed Deenadayalan to send a “convincing” email to the vessel’s charterer to avoid further scrutiny of fuel consumption figures that could have revealed the use of the flushing pump.

Under the deferred prosecution agreement, criminal proceedings against Deenadayalan will be suspended provided he complies with the terms of the arrangement.

The case forms part of a broader federal investigation into the causes of the Dali blackout that preceded the bridge collapse. US authorities have also brought criminal charges against Synergy Maritime and Synergy Marine, the companies involved in managing the vessel.

The Dali, owned by Grace Ocean and managed by Synergy Marine, lost power shortly after departing Baltimore before striking one of the bridge’s support piers, triggering one of the most significant maritime casualties in recent US history.