Posted: Tuesday, 13 November 2007 8:11AM
Bay Bridge Tower Vulnerable to Another Collision
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 SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- The Bay Bridge support tower struck by a container ship last week could suffer damage if hit again. The fender structure that protects the actual bridge ripped apart when the Cosco Busan scraped the bridge, and has yet to be replaced.
The accident still seems incredible to some in the Coast Guard. "These days with GPS, with electronic chart plotters, with all the electronic navigation technology we have, it's a very doable situation to come out here and navigate without that much trouble. But you have to operate at the same speed and you have to pay attention to what your instruments are telling you," said Coast Guard Captain David Swatland.
A 90-foot gash was ripped in the cargo ship when it struck the bridge fender, dumping 58,000 gallons of fuel into the bay. Nearly two dozen beaches were closed, hundreds of birds have been killed or soiled by the oil, and local fisherman could take a heavy blow as a result of the spill.
Monday the main focus of the clean-up operation moved from the water to the beaches. It’s not known how long it will take to remove the fuel, and environmental scientists say much of it will never be recovered.
(RdD)
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Copyright 2007, KCBS. All Rights Reserved.
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KCBS’ Doug Sovern reports
