“At 8:30 am this morning, the Cosco Busan, an 810-foot container ship, collided with the base of one of the towers of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge while the ship was under the control of a Bar Pilot. The crash created a huge gash in the side of the ship and triggered an oil leak that created an environmental mess in San Francisco Bay.” More to come but Telstar Logistics has the full story from a local perspective LINK.

In related news New York’s Ambrose Light experienced an allision earlier this week but this one seems to be part of a trend. I don’t have specifics on this particular incident but the previous ones we’ve heard of were due to failed crash astern tests, a requirement of the port, that were conducted too close to the pilot station. Gothamist has the details on this one LINK.

If you have the inside scoop or would like an experts opinion for your article or post please contact us;

• email: tips (at) gcaptain.com
• phone: 805-456-8644

For a look at the worst case scenario for pilots read our post titled: May 9, 1980, Tampa – Skyway Bridge Disaster

[Continue Reading →]

Telstar Logistics brings us the scoop on the construction of the new Bay Bridge in San Francisco. They write:

We live in a time of many wonders and miracles, and one of them is taking shape in San Francisco Bay. The new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge will replace the cantilevered span built in 1936. The old span was vulnerable to earthquakes — as the Bay Area discovered in 1989 — so the new structure is designed to be a bit less fragile.

Estimated to cost billions of dollars and six more years of construction this project will huge in scope and a topic likely to be discussed often in the maritime community. Read his full story HERE and be sure to click on the photo links.

If you prefer the other bay bridge visit his story: Backstage atop the Golden Gate Bridge

Also be sure to read our post: Bridge Designs.