The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced on June 18, 2026 that the chief engineer aboard the M/V Dali at the time of the March 2024 Francis Scott Key Bridge allision has entered into a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) with the United States in connection with the ongoing criminal investigation arising from the bridge collapse.
The engineer, Karthikeyan Deenadayalan, admitted to conduct constituting a criminal violation of the Ports and Waterways Safety Act based upon his failure to report a hazardous condition to the U.S. Coast Guard—the use of a non-redundant flushing pump that could impair the vessel’s ability to recover from a loss of power, and the failure to report that condition as required under 33 C.F.R. § 160.216.
To learn what this means for those involved with maritime safety—and precautions vessel operators, managers and other shoreside personnel can take to prevent future infractions—we encourage to read the full legal update.