The following is an accident brief from the National Transportation Safety Board:
Accident Summary
On January 7, 2013, at 1118 local time, the 752-foot-long tanker Overseas Reymar allided with the fendering system of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge's Echo tower. The vessel was outbound in San Francisco Bay. No one was injured and no pollution was reported. Damage to the vessel was estimated at $220,000, and the cost to repair the Echo tower's fendering system was estimated at $1.4 million.
Probable Cause
The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the Overseas Reymar allision with the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge was the pilot's decision to alter course from the CD span to the DE span without sufficient time to avoid alliding with the bridge's Echo tower, and the master's failure to properly oversee the pilot by engaging in a phone conversation during a critical point in the transit.
Click here to read the entire report.
