Dali Engineer Admits Safety Failure Before Bridge Crash

Credit: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

The chief engineer of the containership Dali has admitted that he failed to report a serious safety risk before the vessel’s crash into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, according to The Maritime Telegraph. It is the first criminal admission by a person directly involved in the accident.

Karthikeyan Deenadayalan, who served as Dali’s chief engineer, entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with US authorities. He admitted that he did not tell the US Coast Guard about an unsafe fuel system on board the vessel.

According to court documents, Deenadayalan knew that Dali and two sister ships used a fuel supply setup that depended on a flushing pump without a backup. Prosecutors say this increased the risk of power loss and could threaten ships, bridges and port facilities.

Investigators believe the fuel system contributed to the blackouts that occurred shortly after Dali left Baltimore on March 26, 2024. The vessel lost power twice within minutes, then lost propulsion and steering before striking a bridge support. The impact caused the Francis Scott Key Bridge to collapse, killing six construction workers.

The agreement also mentions communication between Deenadayalan and Synergy technical superintendent Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair. Prosecutors claim Nair asked the engineer to send a “convincing” email about fuel consumption to prevent closer scrutiny of the vessel’s fuel system.

The case is part of a wider federal investigation into the Dali disaster. Charges are still pending against Synergy Marine Pte Ltd, Synergy Maritime Pvt Ltd and Nair, who all deny wrongdoing. Prosecutors argue that changes to the fuel system weakened important safety protections and helped cause the second blackout that left the ship unable to avoid the bridge.

Global News

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