The Mexican Navy tall ship that collided with the Brooklyn Bridge over the weekend did not send out any distress signals prior to the crash, but rather asked for assistance, according to Mexico’s Navy chief.

On Tuesday, Raymundo Morales, the Navy chief, stated that the port pilot controlling the Cuauhtémoc vessel had limited time to halt the ship, as it had been stationed a short distance from the bridge.

“We cannot make assumptions at this point about whether the port pilot utilized all the available measures adequately,” Morales mentioned during a press briefing with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

The Mexican Navy training ship that hit the Brooklyn Bridge sits moored in Manhattan on May 18, 2025, in New York City. (ANA FERNANDEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

The Cuauhtémoc was built in Bilbao, Spain, in 1981 and has won the Tall Ships’ Races twice, according to Sail Training International. The ship was in New York City as part of a promotion for an event next year that celebrates America’s 250th birthday.

Reuters contributed to this report.