Chief Engineer of Dali Ship Pleads Guilty to Safety Violations Linked to Key Bridge Incident

Karthikeyan Deenadayalan, the chief engineer of the Dali ship, has entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with federal authorities, acknowledging his involvement in safety violations that contributed to the Key Bridge tragedy, according to the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office.

This agreement follows the unsealing of an indictment in May, which charged Deenadayalan along with two others in connection with the incident that resulted in the deaths of six men.

Previously, Deenadayalan held the position of chief engineer on the Motor Vessel Maersk Saltoro and the Motor Vessel Cezanne. Court documents reveal that he admitted to breaching the Ports and Waterways Safety Act by failing to inform the United States Coast Guard about a hazardous condition.

Specifically, the Statement of Facts indicates that Deenadayalan was aware that the Dali, along with the Maersk Saltoro and Cezanne, operated with an unsafe fuel supply pump, referred to as the “flushing pump.” This pump lacked redundancy, meaning there were no backup systems in place to ensure safe operation in the event of a mechanical failure. As a result, the Dali’s ability to navigate safely and recover from potential power losses was significantly jeopardized.

Deenadayalan also recognized that the inability to recover from a power failure could pose safety risks not only to the ship but also to the Key Bridge and the surrounding infrastructure.

According to court filings, Deenadayalan had discussions and correspondence with personnel from Synergy, including Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, who faces charges in a separate indictment. Nair allegedly instructed Deenadayalan to send a “convincing” email to the Dali's charterer to prevent further inquiries regarding fuel consumption, thereby attempting to conceal information about the flushing pump.

Reported by HarborBeat based on WMAR-2 News (source).