58,000 Gallons of Fuel Oil into San Francisco Bay

[Matt Rogers]

This one is very personal. I live in Pt. Richmond, Ca. It is on the east side of San Francisco Bay. I have lived here for 7 years and love the Bay Area. It is truly one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Last February I bought a small sailboat. According to my logs, I have sailed almost 30 times now in San Francisco Bay. In spite of what some people think, the Bay is teaming with life. Seals, rays, numerous fish, I've even seen the occasional porpoise arching over the water line from my boat.

Now this all changes. Yesterday a container ship hit the Bay Bridge in the fog and dumped 58,000 gallons of fuel oil into the bay. Fuel oil is the nastiest oil there is - it does not degrade easily.

I am not a bleeding heart liberal. I grew up in Chicago. I live within a mile of an oil refinery. I understand and support this country's needs for oil. Staying out of politics, all I am going to say is it is a real shame that double hulled ships are not required (*EDIT SEE END OF POST). I don't get it. Oh yeah I do, it's about the money stupid. Well look at these pics. I am devastated. And so is our bay.



Alcatraz



Golden Gate Bridge








More photos:
SF Gate: Multimedia (image)

(11-08 ) 17:30 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- Heavy-duty bunker fuel oil has washed up on beaches throughout the San Francisco and Marin coastlines all day, leaving purplish sheens on the water, ugly black blobs in the sand, and hundreds of injured or dead birds.

Some 9,500 gallons of oil have been contained since a container ship rammed the Bay Bridge and spilled 58,000 gallons of its fuel Wednesday morning, U.S. Coast Guard Capt. William Uberti said this afternoon. But as he spoke, questions were swirling about why it took so long for emergency officials to contain the mess - and who will be to blame for the environmental disaster building by the hour.

Oil began leaking into the water after the Cosco Busan, an 810-foot container ship that weighs 65,131 tons, crashed into a tower of the Bay Bridge's western span in heavy fog at about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Within an hour, six emergency vessels from the Coast Guard and Marine Spill Response Corp. were on the scene, officials said. Yet even by 4 p.m. Wednesday, officials apparently believed only 140 gallons of oil had leaked into the water.

They later learned that the actual spill amount was 58,000 gallons, Uberti said. The new total was not announced to the public until 9 p.m.

More:
Spill closes bay beaches as oil spreads, kills wildlife




Double Hulled Ships

It looks like Ziggy was right, double hulled ships ARE required for all NEW tankers that are built. However old single hull tankers can go anywhere in the world except California where tankers are required to do business with double hulls.

HOWEVER, container ships like the one that crashed last week, ARE NOT required to be double hulled.

Yet my friends tell me this one was? I find that hard to believe if that is the case as I thought it would afford them protection in these type of crashes!

[geekdafied]

thats F'd up

[IBMGeek]

Man what a shame, I like to go out a lot in my boat down here in South Florida, I cant imagine that happening here, This happening anywhere is very sad.

[mattgeezer]

thats quite tragic!!! why is a ship navigating under a bridge in fog anyway . Seems silly that money yes once again comes before nature ..Very bad i hope someone gets in the poo for that !!!!

[ziggy222]

people unfortunately have a short attension span.that and money is why double hulls are not required.i actually thought they already were.sorry,i don't handle sights like that well.i have'nt been able to eat any bass that i catch in streams in western pa in 8 yrs.seems pollution laws have been very lax.at least the oil was'nt dumped on purpose like our left over insecticides and such.

[omard]

One more time,

I am sooo, embarrassed to be a human.

[tooconceited]

I too live in the bay area and this is sad that something like this could have been prevented. Double hulls and the point someone made about not navigating under a bridge in fog would seem like common sense. It's too bad that doesn't always come into play. I work at the refinery you refer to Matt so I'm obviously not against oil companies but we have a lot of rules at work that protect the environment. The captain of this ship wansn't even tested for alcohol or drugs until almost 17 hours later. Can't help but feel that this shipping companies insurance paying for the cleanup will come far short of fixing the damage.

[Matt Rogers]

Small world TC. And a world in pain.
This hurts. I will be seriously hurting at work tomorrow too. I am in shock still and awake! I was just at the club where my boat is and thinking of the tide coming in with that oil. That is too much.

[clownfish]

I was in the area today and I gotta tell you, it was nasty. What worries me though, I hope it doesn't go all the way to the waters under or near the Dumbarton or San Mateo Bridge, 'cause that area is full of young marine life, is one of the biggest refuges for baby sharks, rays, etc etc. The water is rich with plankton and other food sources for the new borns,etc. My Oceanography teacher from college must be flipping. Well, most of the BA residents are.
I wonder what happened to the sea lions that rest by peir 39. I wonder if they're ok.

Matt, any idea if they'll be needing volunteers to clean this mess up? I wonder who/where I could call to find out.

[Matt Rogers]

Originally Posted by clownfish

Matt, any idea if they'll be needing volunteers to clean this mess up? I wonder who/where I could call to find out.

As soon as I know I will post.
My first guess would be that these guys know:
Home Save The Bay

Yep. Here:

On November 7, 58,000 gallons of noxious bunker fuel spilled from a large container ship into the Bay.

The largest oil spill in San Francisco Bay in more than a decade is a tragedy for the Bay and the fish and wildlife that live in it. Save The Bay has received an outpouring of concern from our members who want to help the Bay and its wildlife.

Save The Bay supports wildlife agencies and other organizations trying to respond quickly with comprehensive clean up efforts to remove oil from the Bay and rescue affected wildlife.

Pollution is one of the biggest threats to the Bay. A spill of this magnitude is a crisis that is causing immediate damage to wildlife and Bay water quality, and could have lasting effects.

We need a thorough investigation to determine the cause of this accident and the extent of the damage. The responsible parties should pay for the cost of cleanup and restoration.

Save The Bay will provide more information on how the community can help as it comes available.

How you can help:

* The Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) is the UC Davis program that organizes the wildlife aid response for the state Department of Fish and Game. The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito is also part of the oil response network. According to OWCN, regular citizens are urged not to participate in the cleanup process at this time. The oil is hazardous material and can be harmful for humans in addition to the wildlife. At this time OWCN recommends that people wanting to help out do the following:

Call the Oiled Wildlife Hotline: 877.823.6926 to report oiled animals or oiled waterways
Check the OWCN website: UC Davis: Oiled Wildlife Care Network for a call for volunteers to help with the "rehab process"

* Save The Bay accepts contributions to our BAY EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND for unanticipated emergencies, like the oil spill, and urgent development threats facing San Francisco Bay. This Fund enables Save The Bay to provide critical information and educate the community about the emergency and the impact on the Bay, advise Bay users about potential hazards, and mobilize our staff, volunteers and key decision makers to effectively take action to protect the Bay.

Save The Bay honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific emergency please do so at the time of your donation by either contacting Adrien Andre at (510) 452-92661 x124, via email at adrien@savesfbay.org

Largest Oil Spill in a Decade Threatens San Francisco Bay! Save The Bay