Last month, a cargo ship lost power and crashed into a bridge.
The FBI is investigating whether there was any criminal activity in the March collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, two people familiar with the matter said.
Officials said the investigation will look into whether the crew left the ship knowing something might be wrong with the ship.
FBI agents were on board the ship Monday morning, the Justice Department said.
“The FBI is conducting court-authorized law enforcement operations aboard the cargo ship Dali,” the Baltimore FBI said in a statement.
The FBI had no further comment.
“Federal agents are conducting a search for Mr. Dali today with court approval,” a Justice Department spokesperson said. “We have no further comment at this time.”
Early on the morning of March 26, the container ship Dali collided with one of the piers of the Key Bridge, causing the bridge to collapse and killing six construction workers who were filling holes between the bridges. Two other workers survived the incident.
No one was injured on the cargo ship in the collision, but several containers fell into the strait.
President Joe Biden, who visited the site of the collapse on April 5, pledged full support for Baltimore's rebuilding efforts. He said during his visit that “the federal government intends to cover the entire cost of rebuilding that bridge.”