Tanker Ship Hits San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge; No Reports Of Leaking Oil

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A tanker ship struck the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on Monday, but there were no reports of leaking oil and the bridge remained open to traffic, officials said.

The tanker "Overseas Reymar" from the Marshall Islands struck a tower of the west span of the bridge about 11:20 a.m. while headed out to sea, according to the Coast Guard and state transportation officials.

The vessel and part of the bridge sustained a little damage, but the superstructure of the bridge was fine, said California Emergency Management Agency spokesman Jordan Scott.

There were no hazardous materials in the water, and no crew members on the ship were injured, he said.

"There is some damage to the vessel, but nothing that poses a danger to anybody," he said. "A fire boat is out there to make sure it stays that way, and it should."

California Department of Transportation spokesman Bart Ney said maintenance crews were headed out to inspect the structure. although the tower appeared fine from a distance.

Ney said there is a fender system that has been built onto the west span that normally can absorb such strikes.

The strike came more than five years after the container ship Cosco Busan slammed into the bridge on a foggy morning and dumped 53,000 gallons of oil into the water.

No one was injured but the spill contaminated 26 miles of shoreline. It also killed more than 2,500 birds of about 50 species and delayed the start of the crab-fishing season.

The cleanup cost exceeded $70 million. The ship's pilot, Capt. John Cota, served a 10-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to two misdemeanor charges.

The companies responsible for the Cosco Busan paid close to $60 million for the cleanup and in criminal fines.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.