| Cosco Busan oil spill | |
|---|---|
 The damaged MV Cosco Busan after alliding with the bridge tower fender | |
 | |
| Location | San Francisco Bay |
| Coordinates | 37°48′03″N 122°22′29″W / 37.80073°N 122.37486°W |
| Date | 7 November 2007 |
| Cause | |
| Cause | Cosco Busan allision with the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge in thick fog.[1][2] |
| Operator | Fleet Management Limited |
| Spill characteristics | |
| Volume | 53,569 US gal (202,780 L; 44,606 imp gal) |
| Area | 150 sq mi (390 km2) |
| Shoreline impacted | 26 mi (42 km) |
The Cosco Busan oil spill occurred at 08:30 UTC-8 on 7 November 2007 between San Francisco and Oakland, California, in which 53,569 US gal (202,780 L) of IFO-380 heavy fuel oil, sometimes referred to as "bunker fuel", spilled into San Francisco Bay after the container ship Cosco Busan, operated by Fleet Management Limited struck Delta Tower of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge in thick fog.
Investigators found that maritime pilot John Cota was impaired because of his use of prescription pharmaceuticals while piloting the container vessel, which rendered him unable to use the onboard radar and electronic navigation charts correctly. This occurred despite the fact that the Vessel Traffic Service of the United States Coast Guard warned Cota that the vessel was headed for the bridge.[3] Cota was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison for his role in the incident.[4]
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency after meeting federal, state and local officials overseeing the cleanup. The proclamation made additional state personnel, funding and equipment available to assess and clean up the environmental damage.[5]
- ^ "Bay Bridge fender repaired ahead of schedule". 22 December 2007.
- ^ https://safety4sea.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/NTSB-Cosco-Busan-allision-November-2007.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ John Upton (27 May 2009). "Prisoners of the COSCO Busan". The East Bay Express. Archived from the original on 31 May 2009. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
- ^ John Upton (5 November 2009). "Old Bridge Bumper Technology Means Future Oil Spills Likely". The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
- ^ Marshall, Carolyn (10 November 2007). "Oil Spill Spreads in San Francisco Bay". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 April 2010.