Crews Actions to Avoid Catastrophe in San Francisco Bay

Images via Flickr user duncandavidson

Tuesday evening, the tanker Overseas Cleliamar lost all power while exiting San Francisco Bay just west of the Golden Gate Bridge.  The 741-ft tanker, on its way to its next port of call in Ecuador, was carrying no cargo at the time of the incident.  Despite initial conflicting reports, the tanker did not hit any rocks and credit is being given to the quick actions of the pilot and crew for preventing any major catastrophe.  The San Francisco Chronicle has the dramatic details:

Capt. Dave McCloy, a bar pilot for about a year, had just minutes to stop the tanker from crashing into the steep rockbound cliffs of the Marin Headlands just outside the Golden Gate.

McCloy had just ordered the ship’s helm put slightly to the right. So when the Overseas Cleliamar lost power, it was headed for the rocks.

McCloy acted fast. He directed the crew of the tanker to lower the starboard anchor, one of two massive anchors carried on the bow. He had the anchor lowered only partially, so that it would take hold in shallower water close to the shore. [Continue Reading →]

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30 Days of San Francisco Ship Traffic – Charted

30 days ship traffic - San Francisco Bay
Click Image For Hi-Resolution Version/

Being technologically oriented ship drivers we are easily excited by new web sites that combine these interests. Having worked closely with web based AIS (Digital Seas, EarthNC, ActiveCaptain, VslTrax… to name a few) providers during the Cosco Busan incident we are also increasingly becoming interested in digital ship tracking technology so to say we were excited to learn about the new and innovative AIS site Hi-Def San Francisco would be, well, an understatement. We will be sure to bring you more information on this site as details emerge but till that time enjoy the above image titled “30 Days of SF bay traffic“.

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Darwin Award Close Call of the Week – Video

YouTube Preview Image

Youtube commentary;

While sailing on San Francisco Bay we had a close encounter with a container ship. The container ship honked at the other sailboat. We had space to turn…but when we tried the container ship blocked our wind. That captain was a hell of a driver! He threaded between our two little sailboats.

I don’t think I need to comment on these boaters but I will say if you’re a boater and sail in an area of heavy ship traffic head over to the Bitterend End blog an soak up some collision avoidance knowledge. You can start here: VTS – Working with large vessels

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Oil Spill Hearings – Video

San francisco Oil Spill Hearings - Video

Click on the above image to see video on today’s congressional hearings into the Cosco Busan Incident and resultant oil ship in San Francisco Bay.

Final Result; A DHS official inquiry was requested by Nancy Pelosi.

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Cosco Busan and San Francisco Oil Spill Photo Slideshow

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Above are images of the Cosco Busan and San Francisco Bay Oil Spill Clean-up courtesy of Flickr photographers in the Bay Area. The Official USCG photo slideshow can be found HERE.

Also take a look at our favorite photo.

Browser not displaying the images? TRY THIS.

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Allision – Nautical Word of the Day

Cosco Busan Allision

In covering the recent San Francisco Bay Bridge incident I have noticed most (but not all) of the news articles have made a small error in terminology. In describing the incident where the Cosco Busan hit the Bay Bridge many prominent news organizations referred to event as a collision when in fact it was an allision.

For clarification: A vessel collides with another moving vessel…. A vessel allides with a fixed object (unless it is submerged) and is presumed at fault.

Marine Dictionary – Allision

For those interested in learning more about the allision here are some good links;

For future articles stay tuned with our Maritime News Discoverer’s Upcoming Links

Here is a photo of the environmental damage;

Oil Spill around alcatraz

Kurt Rogers / San Francisco Chronicle

Update: [Continue Reading →]

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San Francisco Bay Bridge Allision

coscobusana 2 San Francisco Bay Bridge Allision

Damaged ship after hiting San Franciso’s Bay Bridge

“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.2007 11 ambroselight San Francisco Bay Bridge Allision

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 →]

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Inside the New San Francisco Bay Bridge

The New Bay Bridge - San Francisco

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. Drawing of the Proposed Bay Bridge 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.

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