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Tanker Crash Spilled 'Nastiest' Oil Into SF Bay

58,000 gallons dumped in collision with bridge; contamination could linger decades

By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 8, 2007 9:46 AM CST
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(Newser) – A massive container ship traveling in dense fog crashed into the San Francisco’s Bay Bridge yesterday, spilling 58,000 gallons of noxious oil lethal to marine life. It was unclear whether mechanical or human error was at fault, but a spill cleaner said the bunker fuel oil is “the nastiest stuff around” and breaks down particularly slowly, the Chronicle reports.

Environmental experts said the oil, spotted by midday many miles up the coast, could persist in the sediment for decades. Only 30% of birds and mammals exposed to oil survive a year, and fish and plant life will also be affected in the long term. Thirteen organizations are probing why the ship, larger than the Titanic, rammed the bridge.

Officials aboard a pilot boat inspect a Bay Bridge tower that was hit by a 900-foot freighter passing under the bridge in heavy fog in San Francisco, Wednesday Nov. 7, 2007. The Coast Guard says there's no damage to the Bay Bridge after the ship bumped a tower supporting the...
Officials aboard a pilot boat inspect a Bay Bridge tower that was hit by a 900-foot freighter passing under the bridge in heavy fog in San Francisco, Wednesday Nov. 7, 2007. The Coast Guard says there's...   (Associated Press)
A Hanjin container ship that struck the Bay Bridge tower sits idle off of Treasure Island as a U.S. Coast Guard vessel inspects the damage on the freighter in San Francisco, Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007. The Coast Guard says there's no damage to the Bay Bridge after the ship...
A Hanjin container ship that struck the Bay Bridge tower sits idle off of Treasure Island as a U.S. Coast Guard vessel inspects the damage on the freighter in San Francisco, Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007. The...   (Associated Press)
In this photo released by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge sits closed for Labor Day weekend as construction crews replace a 350-foot stretch of the bridge on Saturday, Sept. 1, 2007, in San Francisco, Calif. The bridge is expected to reopen by Tuesday morning. (AP Photo/Metropolitan...
In this photo released by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge sits closed for Labor Day weekend as construction crews replace a 350-foot stretch of the bridge...   (Associated Press)
California's San Francisco Bay Bridge
California's San Francisco Bay Bridge   (Archive Photos)
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