Admiral Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles, Secretary of the Navy (Semar), confirmed that the Cuauhtémoc Training Ship was being maneuvered by a specialized pilot from the New York government at the time of the collision with the Brooklyn Bridge last Saturday, which left two people dead.
During President Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning press conference, the federal official explained that the ship operates as a training center and ambassador for the Mexican government.
However, he mentioned that international regulations stipulate that, at least in the case of New York, the ship must be operated by a specialized pilot assigned by the local government from the moment it departs from the dock.
He specified that therefore, the US pilot was the one in control of the ship at the time of the accident and who decided how to react to the situation. However, he noted that he had very little time to maneuver the ship because the distance between the dock and the bridge is very short.
“We are in coordination with the United States authorities; according to the United States Transportation Safety Board, we need at least 30 days to have preliminary information,” he concluded.
