BALTIMORE — A federal judge on Tuesday scheduled the criminal trial connected to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore for October 2027. But as attorneys prepare for the 16-month road ahead, questions remain about who exactly will be at the highly anticipated seven-week jury trial.

At the start of a status conference on Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge James Bredar acknowledged that defendant Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, a 47-year-old Indian citizen who served as the cargo ship Dali’s technical superintendent, was not present.

The U.S. Department of Justice believes Nair is in India, and prosecutors have said they will use all available tools to bring Nair to the country to face justice.

Nair, Singapore-based Synergy Marine Group and India-based Synergy Maritime face charges including conspiracy, obstruction and false statements in connection with the March 2024 collapse, which killed six men. A criminal indictment unsealed last month alleges the Synergy companies operated the Dali with an unauthorized fuel system that bypassed critical safeguards meant to prevent a total loss of power.

Tuesday, Kierstan Carlson, an attorney for Synergy, expressed her client’s interest in severing Nair’s charges from Synergy’s and making them separate cases. She said this would make it easier to move forward to trial.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Synergy had not filed a motion to sever the case. Nair has yet to appear in court and does not have an attorney listed in federal court records.

Crewmember witnesses

Though a handful of crewmembers and their attorneys were in the courtroom Tuesday, it remains unclear whether the crewmembers will be expected to stay in the U.S. to testify at trial or be deposed before trial so they can return home. Bredar did not rule on the matter Tuesday.

Fourteen witnesses, including 11 Dali crewmembers and three crewmembers on other Synergy-operated ships, have largely stayed in the U.S. since the Dali struck the bridge on March 26, 2024. If the crewmembers wish to travel, a security agreement between Synergy, the ship’s owner and the U.S. Coast Guard allows the government to seek a material witness warrant for any crewmember whose travel plans it objects to.

During the hearing Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Phelps said they “owe it to everyone,” including the jury, to have witnesses present at the trial.

But Synergy attorneys are interested in having these crewmembers deposed so that they can go home to their families after more than two years of waiting in the U.S.

“While some seafarers have been permitted to return home briefly, they have otherwise been isolated from everything they know – they have been living in hotels in a foreign country unable to work; their skill sets are dwindling; and their livelihoods are in danger,” Synergy’s attorneys wrote in a court filing.

Carlson said these crewmembers are Synergy employees whom the company cares for. She said Synergy wants a speedy trial because it wants to get these crewmembers home.

Phelps said all but three of the crewmembers have traveled since the bridge’s collapse. He said the government has tried to tend to the personal needs of the crewmembers.

Another case

This case isn’t the only one unfolding that is related to the collapse. Monday, prosecutors filed charges against the chief engineer of the cargo ship, alleging that he failed to immediately notify the U.S. Coast Guard that a hazardous condition existed aboard the vessel.

According to court filings, prosecutors and the employee, Karthikeyan Deenadayalan, have entered into a deferred prosecution agreement, which could result in the charge being dismissed if Deenadayalan satisfies certain terms not listed in the filing.

The trial for Synergy and Nair is scheduled to begin Oct. 4, 2027, and last through Nov. 19, 2027.

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