American authorities on Sunday detained for questioning the crew of the Cosco Busan freighter of the government-owned China Ocean Shipping Company, which leaked 250 tons of bunker oil into the San FranciscoBay after hitting a tower of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in dense fog on Wednesday.
A criminal investigation has been launched, Coast Guard Capt. William Uberti reported. He said he had provided the prosecutor’s office with all necessary information received during a preliminary investigation. It is clear that a human factor caused the incident.
The accident caused no structural damage to the bridge span, but the vessel's hull suffered a large gash. An over 30-meter-long hole developed in the hull of the freighter as a result of the collision.
The oil washed up on beaches as far as 40 miles north of San Francisco, threatening some of California's most cherished and fragile shoreline, the US Coast Guard said Thursday.
At least eight beaches in San Francisco and Marin County were closed after the incident. A hazy film of oil visibly surrounded Alcatraz Island, and the plume extended well north and south of the Golden Gate Bridge. About a half-dozen birds were spotted alive and coated in oil, according to AP.