By Dana Ford
Sun Nov 11, Reuters

SAN FRANCISCO - Clean-up efforts for a 58,000-gallon (220,000-liter) oil spill in San Francisco Bay expanded on Sunday as federal officials assessed damage that has closed beaches, threatened the crabbing season and killed scores of birds.

"This is an incident which, in my view, should not have happened," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a former San Francisco mayor, at a news conference after touring the affected areas. "I think we can improve the system to manage shipping traffic in and out, in all kinds of weather conditions."

The Cosco Busan container ship struck a tower of the Bay Bridge on Wednesday in fog, slashing a nearly 100 foot gash that allowed bunker fuel to spill.

The Coast Guard ruled out mechanical error as the cause of the area's worst spill in nearly two decades.

"Based on the Coast Guard's preliminary investigation, there appears there was nothing mechanically wrong with the vessel," said Petty Officer Mariana O'Leary, who stopped short of saying human error was responsible.

The National Transportation Safety Board is launching an investigation into the cause of the spill.

The Coast Guard said nearly 60 ships and 800 workers were now involved in cleanup efforts, which have recovered some 12,200 gallons of oil so far. The spill has killed 171 birds, while another 372 have been recovered.

Initial spill story

By Amanda Beck

Reuters

SAN FRANCISCO - A container ship bound for China struck a fog-shrouded tower of San Francisco's Bay Bridge on Nov. 7, causing a fuel spill and forcing the closure of several San Francisco beaches, officials said.

People near the spill reported suffering headaches and nausea as they breathed air containing vaporized oil, but public health officials said the fumes were not likely to have long-term health effects.

Four picturesque beaches on both sides of the landmark Golden Gate Bridge -- Baker, Fort Point, China, and Crissy Field -- were closed, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

"There is a sheen in the water. It is bunker fuel," said Coast Guard Petty Officer Kevin Neff about oil used to propel the ship.

Wil Bruhns, supervising engineer of San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, said the oil could pose a threat to wildlife like seals, fish and birds.

"Bunker fuel oil tends to be rather heavy, and it doesn't float as well as other oil. It's harder to contain," Bruhns said.

The Cosco Busan, a China COSCO Holdings Co Ltd vessel, left the Port of Oakland at 6:31 a.m. on Wednesday and about two hours later hit a fender around a support tower on an especially foggy morning.