FBI agents boarded ship belonging to company whose other cargo ship caused the Baltimore bridge to collapse

BALTIMORE – Federal agents have boarded a ship operated by the same shipping company as the cargo ship that caused the deadly bridge collapse in Baltimore, the FBI confirmed.

Spokespeople for the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Maryland confirmed in statements Saturday that authorities had boarded the Maersk Saltoro, a ship managed by Synergy Marine Group.

“The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Criminal Investigation Division, and Coast Guard Investigative Services are present on board the Maersk Saltoro and are conducting court-authorized law enforcement activities,” said statements from both the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The authorities did not provide any further details.

In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, the U.S. Justice Department alleged that Dali's owner Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and manager Synergy Marine Group, both of Singapore, recklessly cut corners on quality and ignored known electrical problems on the vessel, which caused a power outage shortly before the ship struck a support pillar on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March.

The Justice Department is trying to recoup the more than $100 million the government spent to clean up the underwater debris and reopen the city's harbor.

Darrell Wilson, a spokesman for Grace Ocean, confirmed that the FBI and Coast Guard boarded the Maersk Saltoro in Baltimore Harbor on Saturday morning.

Wilson had previously stated that owners and managers were “looking forward to their day in court to set the record straight regarding the Justice Department's lawsuit.”