Image Credits: USACE HQ/X US federal prosecutors have charged the chief engineer of the container ship Dali for allegedly failing to report dangerous conditions aboard the vessel before it struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in March 2024, causing the bridge to collapse and killing six road workers. The charge against Karthikeyan Deenadayalan is the first criminal case filed against a crew member who was aboard the ship at the time of the disaster, which temporarily shut down the main shipping channel into the Port of Baltimore. According to court filings, Deenadayalan has been charged with violating the Ports and Waterways Safety Act. Prosecutors allege he “knowingly and willfully” failed to notify the US Coast Guard about hazardous conditions on the Dali before the vessel departed Baltimore. Federal authorities and Deenadayalan have entered into a deferred prosecution agreement, meaning the criminal charge could eventually be dismissed if he complies with certain conditions. The terms of the agreement have not been publicly disclosed. The US Department of Justice alleges the Dali was operating with equipment issues involving its generator fuel supply system. Prosecutors claim redundant supply and booster pumps for generators 3 and 4 were not being used and that a non-redundant flushing pump had been used instead. According to investigators, the Dali suffered at least four power outages before striking the bridge. Court documents state the first blackout was likely caused by a loose wire, while the second and critical blackout occurred because the vessel relied on the non-redundant flushing pump to supply fuel to two of its four generators. The charges against the chief engineer come weeks after federal prosecutors unsealed criminal charges against the vessel’s operator, Synergy Marine, and one of its technical superintendents. Prosecutors allege the company concealed dangerous conditions aboard the ship by falsifying inspection reports and bypassing mariti