Nov 16, 2007 6:51 am US/Pacific
NTSB: Coast Guard Didn't Warn Ship Of Collision
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS) ―
Investigators say the Coast Guard's vessel-traffic authorities did not warn a cargo ship it was about to plow into the Bay Bridge in the minutes before the collision.
The National Transportation Safety Board says the Coast Guard's Vessel Traffic Service asked the Cosco Busan what its intentions were as it made its way through a fog bank. The ship's unusual course had drawn the attention of the Coast Guard because it was traveling parallel to the bridge.
But the Coast Guard VTS did not warn the ship it was headed for the bridge footing.
The NTSB said the VTS plays only an advisory role to the shipping traffic in the bay and cannot order vessels to change course.
Investigation into the cause of the crash hit a snag Wednesday when Chinese crew members of the Hong Kong-based cargo ship refused to speak with federal investigators. Some crew members had previously spoken to the Coast Guard, but new criminal and civil investigations have apparently led the crew to hire lawyers and refuse interviews, said National Transportation Safety Board member Debbie Hersman Wednesday.
The NTSB could subpoena the crew members. The Coast Guard has been criticized for a lapse of several hours between when officials knew the spill was 58,000 gallons -- not 140 gallons as initially reported -- and when that information was made public.
Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen told lawmakers Wednesday that the Coast Guard will review its own response, including whether its emergency plan for the bay is adequate. The process will include the city of San Francisco, the state of California and others.
On Thursday, Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, said before an emergency oversight hearing in Emeryville that she would be looking at whether state law was followed in response to the Cosco Busan oil spill and whether it was adequate. She also said that local governments needed to be given the resources and training to respond to such incidents.
Local volunteers "were fighting to get out on those beaches and they weren't allowed," Hancock said.
Meanwhile, the shipping company hired contract workers from the Gulf Coast and trained them in the Bay Area before finally sending them out more than 48 hours after the spill, Hancock said.
Hancock criticized the U.S. Coast Guard's response to the spill and its delay in notifying local governments.
When Berkeley and Albany officials were notified they asked for boom to protect the Berkeley Marina and Albany Beach, but were told there wasn't enough boom and "we weren't high enough on the priority list," Hancock said.
The hearing Thursday focused on the long-term impact of the spill on wildlife and the ecosystem. It also looked at possible legislation requiring boats to be double-hauled and requiring them to use tugboats to navigate the bay.
"The bottom line is we want to prevent this from ever happening again," Hancock said.
Also Thursday, San Francisco crabbers stayed off the water, despite the opening of the Dungeness crab season, fearing bad publicity from last week's oil spill would mean consumers wouldn't want to eat crab from the region.
Local crabbers had asked the governor to delay the opening of the entire commercial crab fishery because they are worried about possible contamination from the spilled oil -- as well as public perceptions that the catch could be tainted.
The Department of Fish and Game said Wednesday fishing would be closed in the bay and waters within three miles of the coastline, from San Mateo County to Point Reyes -- leaving open most of the commercial Dungeness crab fishery.
Crabbers will not be able to unload crabs in San Francisco, but they can still deliver their catch to buyers in Half Moon Bay or Bodega Bay.
At Fisherman's Wharf Thursday morning, crabbers said they're worried about their potential liability if someone gets sick from eating oil-tainted crab.
"It just takes one crab and you'll have a problem. It's a lawsuit waiting to happen," said Max Boland, director of sales at Alber Seafoods, a wholesaler on the wharf. Some crabbers said they were outraged that state officials decided to leave open most of the Central California crab fishery, which extends south from Point Arena in Mendocino County. The fishery traditionally opens two weeks before larger crab fisheries further north.
"This is an absolute disaster," said Larry Collins, who heads the San Francisco Crab Boat Owners Association. "We're all stunned. It's absolutely irresponsible."
Steve Martarano, a spokesman for the state Department of Fish and Game, said the department consulted with all sectors of the fishing industry before deciding which areas should be closed.
"All of us were concerned about the human health issue," Martarano said. "There was a wide range of opinion, and we took everything into consideration."
Also Thursday, an Oregon crab boat operator who traveled to the Bay area for crab season filed a federal civil lawsuit in San Francisco seeking compensation for losses related to the oil spill and fishing. The complaint by Chelsea LLC, names ship owner Regal Stone Ltd, Hanjin Shipping and the China Ocean Shipping Company as defendants. The operator's lawyer estimates the spill has cost Bay area fishermen more than $100 million in losses and predicts that similar lawsuits will be filed.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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