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Hours before leaving port, the massive container ship that caused the\u00a0deadly collapse<\/a>\u00a0of a Baltimore bridge experienced apparent electrical problems, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Monday, the same day FBI agents boarded the vessel amid a criminal investigation into the circumstances leading up to the catastrophe.<\/p>\n The Dali departed Baltimore\u2019s port early on March 26 laden with cargo destined for Sri Lanka. It lost power before reaching open water and struck one of the supports for Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the span to collapse into the Patapsco River and sending\u00a0six members of a road repair crew<\/a>\u00a0plummeting to their deaths. Two of the victims are still unaccounted for.<\/p>\n Authorities announced Monday evening the recovery of a fourth body from a construction vehicle in the underwater wreckage. The person\u2019s identity wasn\u2019t released per their family\u2019s request, officials said.<\/p>\n While\u00a0the ship<\/a>\u00a0was docked in Baltimore, alarms went off on some of its refrigerated containers, indicating an inconsistent power supply, according to the person with knowledge of the situation who was not authorized to publicly comment and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board have said their investigation will include an inquiry into whether the ship experienced power issues before starting its voyage.<\/p>\n Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said last week the investigation is focused on\u00a0the ship\u2019s electrical system<\/a>\u00a0generally. The ship experienced power issues moments before the crash, as is evident in videos that show its lights going out and coming back on.<\/p>\n Homendy said information gleaned from the vessel\u2019s voyage data recorder is relatively basic, \u201cso that information in the engine room will help us tremendously.\u201d<\/p>\n The FBI is now conducting a criminal investigation into the bridge collapse that is focused on the circumstances leading up to it and whether all federal laws were followed, according to a different person familiar with the matter. The person wasn\u2019t authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n FBI agents were aboard the cargo ship on Monday conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity, the agency said in a statement. It didn\u2019t elaborate and said it wouldn\u2019t comment further on the investigation, which was first reported by The Washington Post.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Mayor Brandon Scott issued a statement Monday announcing a partnership with two law firms to \u201claunch legal action to hold the wrongdoers responsible\u201d and mitigate harm to the people of Baltimore. He said the city needs to act quickly to protect its own interests.<\/p>\n Scott said the city \u201cwill take decisive action to hold responsible all entities accountable for the Key Bridge tragedy,\u201d including the owner, operator and manufacturer of the cargo ship Dali, which began its journey roughly a half-hour before losing power and veering off course.<\/p>\n The Dali is managed by Synergy Marine Group and owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd., both of Singapore. Danish shipping giant Maersk chartered the Dali.<\/p>\n Synergy and Grace Ocean\u00a0filed a court petition<\/a>\u00a0soon after the collapse seeking to limit their legal liability \u2014 a routine procedure for cases litigated under U.S. maritime law. Their\u00a0joint filing<\/a>\u00a0seeks to cap the companies\u2019 liability at roughly $43.6 million. It estimates that the vessel itself is valued at up to $90 million and was owed over $1.1 million in income from freight. The estimate also deducts two major expenses: at least $28 million in repair costs and at least $19.5 million in salvage costs.<\/p>\n \u201cDue to the magnitude of the incident, there are various government agencies conducting investigations, in which we are fully participating,\u201d Synergy spokesperson Darrell Wilson said in a statement Monday. \u201cOut of respect for these investigations and any future legal proceedings, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n The companies filed their petition under a provision of an 1851 maritime law that allows them to seek to limit their liability to the value of the vessel\u2019s remains after a casualty.<\/p>\n Attorneys for some of the victims and a worker who survived the collapse argued Monday that the companies that own and manage the ship are taking advantage of an \u201carchaic law\u201d in attempting to protect their assets.<\/p>\n \u201cImagine telling that to grieving families \u2026 while they\u2019re planning a funeral, the owner of the boat is in court,\u201d attorney L. Chris Stewart said during a news conference in Baltimore.<\/p>\n The road crew \u201cabsolutely had zero warning\u201d in the moments before the collapse, Stewart said, even though a last-minute mayday call from the ship\u2019s pilot allowed nearby police officers to stop traffic from trying to cross the span. Three of the workers\u2019 bodies are still missing, as crews continue the dangerous work of removing massive chunks of steel from the river.<\/p>\n Julio Cervantes, who survived falling from the bridge, narrowly escaped drowning by rolling down his work vehicle\u2019s window and fighting through the frigid water despite being unable to swim, attorneys said. He clung to debris until he was rescued.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was all preventable,\u201d Stewart said. \u201cThat is why we were brought in to investigate and find out what has happened and give these families a voice.\u201d<\/p>\n The investigations come amid concerns about the\u00a0safety of thousands of U.S. bridges<\/a>\u00a0and days after more than two dozen river barges\u00a0broke loose and struck a closed span<\/a>\u00a0in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSubscribe to the CFO Daily newsletter to keep up with the trends, issues, and executives shaping corporate finance. Sign up<\/a> for free.<\/div>\n