Marine Log - March 2009 - (Page 13) NTSB’s Rosenker: Lack of competence made Cosco Busan accident “inevitable” n its determination released last month in the Cosco Busan case, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said a medically unfit pilot, an ineffective master, and poor communications between the two were the cause of the November 2007 accident in which the containership spilled thousands of gallons of fuel oil into the San Francisco Bay after striking a bridge support tower. At the announcement of the release of the determination, Acting National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Mark V. Rosenker, said, “There was a lack of competence in so many areas that this accident Aker Philadelphia delivers first ship in series to Tesoro Aker Philadelphia Shipyard delivered its sixth MT-46 Veteran product tanker, the Overseas Boston, to American Shipping Company. The tanker is the first of four vessels that will be used by Tesoro Maritime Company to transport petroleum. The remaining three ships in the series are currently under construction at the yard. I seemed almost inevitable.” The NTSB determination came just one day after a federal judge rejected an attempt by the Cosco Busan’s ship manager Fleet Management Ltd. to deflect criminal charges in the case by putting the blame on state and federal authorities for licensing the pilot, John Cota. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Fleet Management Ltd., charged with criminal negligence and falsifying documents, sought records from the state Board of Pilot Commissioners on pilot John Cota. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston, however, said that Fleet Management could not “dis- prove its own negligence simply by demonstrating that the negligence of other actors was another cause.” The 901 ft containership Cosco Busan struck one of the towers of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in heavy fog on the morning of November 7, 2007, ripping a 212 ft gash in the side of the ship. The San Francisco Bay pilot issued directions that resulted in the ship heading directly toward the Delta support tower. As a result of striking the bridge, over 53,000 gallons of fuel oil were released into the Bay, contaminating about 26 miles of shoreline and killing more than 2,500 birds of about 50 species. NASSCO awarded Navy contract General Dynamics NASSCO was awarded a $3.5 million design contract for the U.S. Navy’s Mobile Landing Ship (MLP) program. The new class of auxilliary ship will serve as a transfer station in areas where port access is limited or unavailable. The Navy plans to build three MLPs with the first expected to be delivered in 2015. www.marinelog.com MARCH 2009 MARINE LOG 13 http://www.marinelog.com
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