IT’S CAUSE AND EFFECT’S

ALEJANDRO BEN KENIYA SEAN

 On November 7 th, 2007 the Cosco Busan left the Port of Oakland bound for South Korea in dense fog.

 About a half hour after leaving the dock the Cosco Busan hit the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge.  Not a collision, an Allision.

 6 a.m. - Bar pilot Capt. John Cota boards Cosco Busan at berth 55, Oakland Inner Harbor. He decides fog is too thick and waits for it to lift.  About 7:30 - Cota notifies Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service that fog has lifted and he intends to sail. He tells vessel traffic he intends to use the Delta-Echo span of the Bay Bridge. The ship is assisted by the tug Revolution.  7:30 to 8:20 - The ship's radar failed, says Cota, who decides to rely on an electronic chart. He asks ship's captain to point to center of the D-E span on the electronic chart. Cota gives course and speed for that point.

 About 8:20 - Coast Guard advises Cota that ship is off course, is heading southwest, parallel to the bridge. Ship makes a right turn. Lookout on the bow warns that ship is headed for the Delta tower.  8:27 - Ship hits base of Delta tower, tearing a 160-foot-long gash in the freighter's side.

 8:30 - Cota reports to vessel traffic service that the ship has hit the bridge tower. Shortly thereafter, ship reports that oil is leaking into the bay.  8:52 - Personnel on pilot boat sent from Pier 9 in San Francisco notice that "a substantial flow of oil" is coming from the ship.

 9:03 - The Coast Guard dispatches its first vessel to the scene.  9:46 - Marine Spill Response Corp., a private company tasked with the cleanup, dispatches its first vessel to the scene.  11 - Five MSRC skimming boats designed to contain and mop oil are on the scene.  12:15 p.m. - Coast Guard says oil spill is 140 gallons; ship has moved to anchorage south of the Bay Bridge, trailing an oil slick. Coast Guard says it's too foggy to put up aircraft to determine spill size.

 12:30 - Tidal current shifts toward Golden Gate at about 2.3 knots. 4 - Oil booms set up at Aquatic Park and Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco.

 4:49 - Coast Guard realizes the spill is 58,000 gallons.  8:58 - Coast Guard notifies public of true extent of spill.

 Drakes Bay  Drakes Estero  Pt Reyes National Seashore  Drakes Bay Oyster Co.

 $70,000, in environmental cleanup costs  2500 dead marine birds  26 miles of shoreline contaminated  Crab and fishing season delayed  Job losses for fisherman and oyster farmers

 Pled guilty to one count of negligently polluting the bay and one count of killing migratory birds.  Will receive a sentence of between 2 and 10 months.  Faces further charges for falsifying documents about prescription medications.

 John Cota, Fleet Management, and the ship's owner, Regal Stone Ltd. of Hong Kong, also face several civil lawsuits filed by fishermen and federal, state and local governments.