Federal prosecutors in Maryland have charged the chief engineer of the containership Dali, Karthikeyan Deenadayalan, with a single count under the Ports & Waterways Safety Act for failing to notify the U.S. Coast Guard of hazardous conditions aboard the vessel when it arrived in Baltimore. He is the first crew member to face charges in the case stemming from the March 2024 allision that destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The filing alleges that redundant generator supply and booster pumps were not in use and that reliance on a non-redundant flushing pump contributed to the blackout preceding the fatal allision — mirroring the criminal case revealed in May against operator Synergy Marine and a technical superintendent. Prosecutors said they have also entered a deferred-prosecution agreement with the chief engineer, reviewed at a June 16 hearing.

The criminal proceedings run alongside broader civil litigation against owner Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine, with a trial in the case against Synergy and its technical supervisor proposed for October 2027.

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