(BALTIMORE) -- The federal government indicted two foreign companies Tuesday in connection with the cargo ship crash that caused the deadly collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge in 2024.
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, and six construction workers who were on the span were killed.
The Justice Department 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 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."
Synergy Marine Pte Ltd. issued a statement Tuesday saying it was "deeply disappointed" in the 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.
Wilson also questioned the indictment's timing as it came a month before a civil trial against the company was slated to commence.
The company said that it "will defend against these allegations with vigor and remains committed to pursuing all legal avenues."
-ABC News' Sam Sweeny contributed to this report.