San Francisco Bay oil spill spreads

news wanted:

Anyone have any photos?

God, I read about it hitting the bridge on wednesday but didn't put 2 and 2 together....!

good stuff:

The best coverage I have found is on MSN

Images: Crews Begin Cleanup
Video: Coast Guard Faces Oil Cleanup Challenge
Raw Video: Aerial View Over Oil Spill
Raw Video: Dolphins Swim Through Oil

If the links don't work, here is the main link: http://www.knbc.com/news/14544062/detail.html?rss=la&psp=news# 

More than 58,000 gallons of oil spilled into the water Wednesday after
a container ship traveling through dense fog bumped into a fender
designed to protect the support tower on the center span of the Bay
Bridge.

A hazy film of oil surrounded Alcatraz Island, and the
plume extended well north and south of the Golden Gate Bridge. The
heavy fuel has closed at least eight beaches. About a half-dozen birds
were spotted alive and coated in oil, which has been washing up as far
as 40 miles north of San Francisco.The accident caused no
structural damage to the span, officials said, but the vessel's hull
suffered a large gash.

The ship has since anchored in the bay."By
our guidelines it is a medium-sized spill. But in the San Francisco Bay
Area, that is a big deal," said Coast Guard Capt. William Uberti,
captain of the Port of San Francisco and the chief federal officer
heading up the investigation and response. "This is a very
environmentally sensitive area, so it's of great concern."The
petroleum was bunker fuel -- a heavy fuel that is the residue from oil
refining and contains many contaminants, said Coast Guard Petty Officer
3rd Class Melissa Hauck.

 Crews aboard two helicopters surveyed the damage as eight skimmers
sucked up the oil on the bay and ocean. Teams also walked the shoreline
assessing and scooping up the oil, authorities said.

Some 8,000 gallons of fuel were recovered, and the Coast Guard said it had placed 18,000 feet of booms by Thursday morning."We
can't stop everything, but we're going to do our best," Uberti said.
During his own survey aboard a boat, Uberti said he had observed "a
sheen with small little globules -- something that's not too difficult
to clean up."

---------More at Msnbc

History Of Oil Spills In San Francisco Bay

Wednesday's incident marks the second worst oil spill from a ship into the San Francisco Bay in recent years.In
1996, the SS Cape Mohican spilled 96,000 gallons of oil into a floating
drydock at the SF Drydock Shipyard, according to the California
Department of Fish and Game. Approximately 40,000 gallons spilled into
San Francisco Bay. Oil spread from Pier 70 south to Hunter?s Point and
north into the central Bay, Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, Alcatraz, Yerba
Buena, Treasure and Angel Islands. The Tiburon Peninsula and San
Francisco waterfront were also oiled, according to the DFG report.

In
1988, a Shell Oil storage tank at the Martinez Refinery spilled 420,000
gallons, damaging wetland and estuarine areas, according to the Cal
OCEAN.

In 1986, the tank barge Apex Houston lost a hatch cover as
it was being towed from the Shell refinery in Martinez to Long Beach,
spilling about 25,800 gallons of crude oil along the way, according to
the Department of Fish and Game.

One
of the most damaging oil spills in the San Francisco Bay happened in
1971 when two oil tankers collided under the Golden Gate Bridge,
spilling 20,000 gallons of oil into the water.

---------More at Msnbc

good stuff:

It's in my "back yard" and I want the world to know about it.  I don't want it to happen again, anywhere!