FBI Agents Board Vessel Linked To Ship That Caused Baltimore Bridge Collapse

Both ships are managed by Synergy Marine Group, which has been sued by the Justice Department

The Dali container ship struck a support column of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing its total collapse in March 2024 — The Dali cargo ship crashed into a support column of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in March, causing it to collapse. AFP

FBI agents on Saturday boarded a ship in the Baltimore Harbor that's managed by the same company as the cargo vessel that caused the fatal crash into a bridge in March, according to reports.

The FBI and the U.S. Attorney's office in Maryland said the agents boarded the Maersk Saltoro, which is managed by the Synergy Marine Group, the Associated Press reported.

"The Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Criminal Investigation Division and Coast Guard Investigative Services are present aboard the Maersk Saltoro, conducting court authorized law enforcement activity," statements from both the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office said, the AP reported.

Other details concerning the reason for the boarding and the search were not immediately available.

The Department of Justice filed a $100 million lawsuit on Wednesday regarding the crash in March of the Singapore-flagged ship the Dali into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge when it lost power, causing the bridge to collapse. Six road workers on the bridge were killed.

The owner of the Dali, Grace Ocean Private Ltd., and ship manager Synergy Marine Group were named in the suit. Officials argued they were responsible when ship operators allegedly ignored electrical issues on the ship and placed an "ill-prepared crew on an abjectly unseaworthy vessel."

The 106,000-ton ship had been headed for Sri Lanka.

The bridge collapse disrupted shipping travel in the port as state and federal officials searched for and recovered the bodies of the workers killed, and construction crews cleared pieces of the bridge. The waterway finally reopened in June.

The suit is attempting to recover those costs.

Reporters for the Washington Post said the Saltoro sailed into the Port of Baltimore at around 6 a.m. under the Key Bridge and into the Seagirt Marine Terminal.

Officials, some wearing jackets with the FBI insignia and hard hats, pulled up to the docks in unmarked black SUVs and white sedans and waited to board the vessel.

Department of justice