Bar Pilot Blamed in Cosco Busan Debacle
Last night our friend Jim from SFist sent us some photos he took of the Accusation of Misconduct filed against San Francisco Bar Pilot John Cota in the aftermath of the accident last month which saw the container ship Cosco Busan bump into the Bay Bridge — spilling 58,000 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay in the process.
Jim has the complete story over at SFist, but for all you primary-source wonks, the four pages below provide a chronology of how the mishap unfolded, and how Cota's actions may have contributed to the accident. (Click to enlarge)
Bottom line: The pilot may have been driving too fast in bad weather. The Board of Pilot Commissioners will now determine "whether revocation or suspension of [Cota's] pilot license, or other appropriate sanction, should be imposed." A formal hearing on the matter will probably be held next year.
Meanwhile, the San Francisco Chronicle reports:
The Coast Guard has asked Cota to voluntarily deposit his federal merchant marine officer's license with the service on grounds he is not physically competent to maintain it.
Cota, however, has turned his license in to his lawyer. According to Coast Guard spokesman Dan Dewell, the service has accepted this arrangement with the stipulation that Cota will not sail with the license.
The Chron also notes that the Cosco Busan plans to depart San Francisco today, after three weeks of extensive repairs.
(Thanks for sending these along, Jim!)
LINK:
Accusation of Negligence (pdf of the formal accusation against Bar Pilot John Cota)
Bay Spill Ship is scheduled to leave S.F. today (San Francisco Chronicle, December 14, 2007)
Animated map of Cosco Busan accident (Created by BoatingSF and gCaptain using ship tracking data)
PREVIOUSLY:
Situation Report: Diagnosing the Cosco Busan Debacle
(IMAGES: San Francisco Bar Pilot boat photo by joeysplanting. Document above courtesy of Jim Herd, SFist)
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