As the Mexican navy vessel Cuauhtémoc remains docked after a calamitous collision with the Brooklyn Bridge, plans for repairing the damaged ship are taking shape. According to ABC7NY, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) inspectors, with the consent of the Mexican government, have begun their investigation into the incident that led to the death of two cadets and injured 19 others. Interviews with crew members, including the tug pilot and harbor pilot, are on the agenda, as stated by NTSB Board Member Michael Graham: "We need to interview the tug pilot, the tugboat pilot, the harbor pilot, we'd like to the captain of the ship and there's a lot of other some other crew members we want to do, but we haven't had that chance."
A spokesperson for NYC Emergency Management detailed the assessment and forthcoming repairs, mentioning that "Marine surveyors and contractors, including specialists from Mexico, have accessed the ship and confirmed that there is no damage to the hull that would prevent its movement from the current pier with tugboat assistance." Weather conditions are being monitored, which may halt on-site operations till the weekend, but the ship could potentially be moved to a dry dock facility by Sunday for initial repairs at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, as reported by ABC7NY.
Adding to the unfolding narrative, The Guardian reports that the vessel's pilot during the crash was based in New York. Admiral Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles, in a press conference, remarked, “The ship must be controlled by a specialized harbor pilot from the New York government.” The crash, which was captured on social media, saw the ship losing power as it left the harbor, eventually being swept into the Brooklyn Bridge by the current. The constraint of the Brooklyn Bridge's clearance being lower than the ship's height contributed significantly to the collision.
The two sailors who perished were identified as América Sánchez and Adal Jair Maldonado Marcos, whose families shared their dreams and aspirations with Mexico News Daily. Sánchez, with her sights set on becoming a naval engineer, and Maldonado Marcos, desirous to follow in his father’s maritime footsteps, embody the lives irreversibly marked by a sequence of dire events. The full NTSB investigation into the crash of the ship—during a goodwill tour which included a 254-day journey with visits to ports across the world—is expected to provide answers, though a preliminary report could be issued within 30 days, according to The Guardian.
.jpg){kind=link}