Report: Coast Guard shares blame in spill

[unhappycamper]

Report: Coast Guard shares blame in spill
By Amy McCullough - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Feb 19, 2009 15:09:44 EST

The Coast Guard failed to provide “adequate” oversight of the freighter Cosco Busan’s pilot before it rammed into the San Francisco Bay Bridge and spilled 53,000 gallons of oil into the Bay in November 2007. Consequently, the service is partially responsible for the collision, according to a new report released Thursday from the National Transportation Safety Board.

“Given the pilot’s medical condition, the Coast Guard should have revoked (the pilot’s) license, but they didn’t; the pilot should have made the effort to provide a meaningful pre-departure briefing to the master, but he didn’t; and the master should have taken a more active role in ensuring the safety of his ship, but he didn’t,” acting NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker said in a statement. “There is a lack of competence in so many areas that this accident seemed almost inevitable.”

The collision cost more than $70 million for the environmental cleanup, as well as about $2 million in damages to the ship, and $1.5 million in damages to the bridge. The pilot was on a “half-dozen impairing prescription medications” at the time of the incident, according to a summary of the report. The full report has not yet been released.

Coast Guard spokeswoman Lt. Nadine Santiago said the service is reviewing the report and is open to any suggestions but can not discuss details until its own investigation is released. That release is slated for Monday.

According to documents submitted by the Coast Guard to NTSB for review, Coast Guardsmen boarded the Cosco Busan six times between Feb. 2, 2002, and July 17, 2007, for such things as port state control exams, ballast water exams, International Ship and Port Facility Security Code exams and security boardings.


Rest of article at: http://navytimes.com/news/2009/02/coastguard_coscobusan_021909/%2e