What was the cause of the oil spill in california?

Question

could it have been prevented??? who is responsible??

Answer 1

Human error. The Bay Bridge has been there for over 60 years; it's been on the navigation maps for all of that time. The ship in question was using some new fangled electronic maps...and did not show the bridge using common symbols. The pilot was also confused by the fog, and has had a history of navigational errors.

Memo to the Voice of Reason, it is bunker oil.

Answer 2

"What caused the spill?"  Demand for oil.

"Could it have been prevented?"  Well, in hindsight, ALL accidents could be prevented.

"Who is responsible?"  Anyone who uses oil or buys things from others who use oil.

Answer 3

If you are talking about the spill in the SF Bay, it was caused by human error.  What actually happened was a Chinese freighter ran into the San Fransico-Oakland Bay Bridge.  The collision opened a hole in the ships hull.  This hole was located in the area of the ships bunkers (tanks where fuel is stored).  As a result, some of the fuel in the tanks spilled into the bay.

Please note that:

1) The ship was not a tanker

2) The oil spilled was heavy fuel oil, not crude oil

3) The heavy fuel oil spilled was being carried by the ship as fuel for its engines, not to transport it from one place to another.

Answer 4

Breech of hull of a container ship.   The pilot was probably b.s.ing with the captain and didn't warn the man on the wheel of the horrible currents present under the bridge.   The captain is always  responsible for everything that happens on a ship.   That's why they makes the big bucks.

Answer 5

So far the pilot hired to guide the vessel out of San Francisco Bay is cooperating with  the Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), but the Captain and the rest of the crew have refused.

A criminal investigation is underway.

It looks as if the electronic charts and the radar may have been poorly maintained or improperly installed.  If that's the case I'd have to say the owners are to blame.

This clearly could have been avoided and was preventable.  Authorities are still in the process though of assigning fault.

So far over 600 shore birds are dead.