2 foreign companies, supervisor indicted in Baltimore bridge crash as $2.5B settlement reached with state of Maryland

Maryland announced on Tuesday a $2.5 billion settlement with the owner and operator of the cargo vessel that crashed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, as the U.S. Justice Department charged two foreign companies and one individual in connection with the deadly 2024 collision.

The federal government indicted the ship's operators in connection with the crash that caused the collapse of the bridge, killing six construction workers.

Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, a shoreside technical superintendent of the M/V Dali, the vessel involved in the crash, was also charged by federal prosecutors.

The Singapore-registered Dali was bound for Sri Lanka when it crashed into the Baltimore bridge in the early hours of March 26, 2024, after the ship lost power twice. The boat knocked down a section of the bridge.

The DOJ alleges that the companies that operated the boat, Synergy Marine Pte Ltd, based in Singapore, and Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd, based in Chennai, India, and Nair engaged in "criminal conduct that not only destroyed the Key Bridge but brought the regional economy to its knees and claimed the lives of six Maryland residents,” according to the indictment.

The federal indictment says that the economic loss was at least $5 billion.

If the ship had been using the proper equipment, the crash could have been avoided, the DOJ said.

The companies along with Nair, an Indian national, allegedly altered the ship and relied on a flushing pump to supply fuel to two of the Dali's four generators, according to the indictment.

However, the flushing pump was not designed to automatically restart following a blackout, and the Dali’s generators could not operate without a fuel supply, so the ship ultimately experienced a second blackout, the indictment said.

The indictment alleges that if the Dali used the proper fuel supply pumps, the vessel would have regained power in time to safely navigate under the Key Bridge.

The DOJ alleged the defendants also lied to investigators when asked about what happened.

"This indictment is the first step in our efforts to hold those accountable who caused the tragic deaths of six people and catastrophic damage to our region," U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland said in a DOJ statement. "The safety of our residents, ports, and infrastructure is of utmost importance to the prosperity of the District of Maryland. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland will continue to pursue those who commit crimes that jeopardize those interests."

In response to the DOJ's indictment, Synergy Marine Pte Ltd. issued a statement Tuesday saying it was "deeply disappointed" in the federal prosecutors' actions and defended itself citing the NTSB investigation.

"The NTSB’s findings, together with the substantial evidence Synergy Marine has produced to the government in the investigation, clearly refutes any allegations of wrongdoing by the DALI crew," Darrell Wilson, a spokesman for Synergy, said in a statement.

The company said that it "will defend against these allegations with vigor and remains committed to pursuing all legal avenues."

Separately, Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown on Tuesday announced he had also reached a $2.25 billion settlement with the ship's owner, Grace Ocean Private Limited, and operator, Synergy Marine Pte Ltd.

The settlement announced Tuesday comes ahead of the civil trial scheduled for June 1 and resolves the claims against Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Pte Ltd. It does not resolve the state's claim against the shipbuilder, Hyundai Heavy Industries, according to Brown's statement.

Maryland plans to continue pursuing claims against the shipbuilder, citing the NTSB's report that found the company at fault behind the ship's loss of power and its subsequent collision with the bridge, according to the state AG.

Based on the state's examination of the companies' available resources and the insurance limits, officials said they believe the settlement "maximizes the recovery available from the vessel interests."

“This $2.25 billion settlement reflects the full measure of accountability we were able to secure from the vessel interests -- and our pursuit of justice is not finished," Brown said in a statement.

ABC News has reached out to Synergy about the settlement and to Hyundai about the state saying it will continue to pursue claims against the shipbuilder. A representative for Grace Ocean could not immediately be located.

-ABC News' Sam Sweeny and Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.