SF Board of Pilot Commissioners Releases the Incident Review Committee Report on COSCO BUSAN Allision

Report, dated 23 October 2008, outlines actions of the pilot of the M/V COSCO BUSAN in November 2007 incident.

According to the executive summary of the “Report,” the Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo and Suisun (the “Board”) licenses and regulates the approximately 60 San Francisco bar pilots and one inland pilot who provide pilotage services on San Francisco Bay and its tributaries and on Monterey Bay. The Board has many duties, one of which is the responsibility to review all reports of misconduct or navigational incidents involving bay pilots or inland pilots or other matters for which a license issued by the Board may be revoked or suspended. This responsibility is delegated to the Board’s Incident Review Committee (“IRC”). (Harb. & Nav.Code § 1180.3(b)). Following its investigation, the IRC must present a written report to the Board. (Harb. & Nav.Code § 1180.3(b) &(c)).

This report constitutes the findings and conclusions of the IRC based on its investigation of the M/V COSCO BUSAN’s allision with the fendering system around the Delta Tower of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (“Bay Bridge”) at 0830 hours on November 07, 2007. At the time of the allision, the M/V COSCO BUSAN was transiting from her berth in the Oakland Inner Harbor to sea under the navigational control of Captain John Cota, a Board-licensed pilot.

The IRC has not been tasked with determining whether there was misconduct, negligence or errors on the part of other individuals or parties. To that end, any comments on the actions of other individuals or entities appear in this report only to the extent that they help explain whether pilot error was involved. Consequently, any such comments are not intended to reflect, and should not be interpreted as, the IRC’s opinion with respect to the relative culpability, if any, of other individuals or parties.

Read the report by clicking HERE.