Mexico's Secretary of the Navy claimed Tuesday that a pilot from New York was in control at the time the ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge .

Raymundo Pedro Morales spoke at a news conference with Mexico's president.

"In particular, in New York, the ship has to be controlled by a specialized harbor pilot from the New York Government, so the entire maneuver that the ship made from the moment it left the dock until the collision was under the control of the pilot," Morales said in Spanish.

Morales claimed that the pilot had very little time to act, because the distance from where the ship was docked to the bridge was very short.

CBS News New York is reaching out to local officials for comment.

Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board is still waiting for permission from the Mexican government to board the ship.

The Cuauhtémoc remains docked at Pier A on Manhattan's Lower East Side . Two sailors died in the crash.

The NTSB says it will be looking at three components that could have played a role , including crew operations, the condition of the vessel, and the wind and tides.

A prayer vigil is planned for Wednesday night in Brooklyn.

Jesse Zanger is the managing editor of CBSNewYork.com. Jesse has previously worked for the Fox News Channel and Spectrum News NY1. He covers regional news around the Tri-State Area, with a particular focus on breaking news and extreme weather.