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Oil Spill Blamed On Human Error

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By MARCUS WOHLSEN, The Associated Press

Published: November 11, 2007

OAKLAND, Calif. - A preliminary investigation found human error caused a cargo ship to crash into the Bay Bridge, leading to San Francisco Bay's worst oil spill in nearly two decades, the U.S. Coast Guard said Saturday as rescue teams raced to save hundreds of seabirds.
Coast Guard officials said their early probe was focused on communication problems between the ship's crew and the pilot guiding the vessel, as well as communications between the pilot and the Vessel Traffic Service, the Coast Guard station that monitors the bay's shipping traffic.

Officials would not detail what evidence was uncovered. But Coast Guard Cmdr. Andrew Wood said "the mere fact that they collided with a fixed object" offered clear evidence that a communication problem had occurred.

The Cosco Busan was headed out of the bay when it sideswiped a support on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on Wednesday morning.

The crash ruptured two fuel tanks, which leaked about 58,000 gallons of heavy ship fuel oil into the bay - the bay's worst oil spill in nearly two decades.

On Saturday, the Coast Guard increased the number of ships to 20 from 11 the previous day to work on skimming the oil from the bay. Nearly 20,000 gallons of oily liquid had been sucked up by Saturday morning, Petty Officer Sherri Eng said.

About 500 workers joined shoreline cleanup crews to mop up the damage - a job that is expected to last weeks or possibly months.

Authorities said most of the spilled oil won't be captured and eventually will dissolve into the water. Concentrated globules could remain for months.

At least 60 birds were found dead, and 200 live birds were recovered and sent to a rehabilitation center in Solano County.

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