Emergency crews scrambled into action Monday when a tanker ship struck a Bay Bridge tower, but visions of catastrophe turned to relief after the damage was quickly assessed and news spread that a disaster had been averted. There are still a lot of questions that need to be answered about the 11:20 a.m. crash of the Overseas Reymar, but officials and observers said the emergency response went much more smoothly than the chaotic response in 2007.
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| The ship |
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| Crazy course the ship took |
It wasn't clear what caused the Overseas Reymar to swipe the easternmost tower of the bridge's western span, but pilot error is being considered. The 751-foot-long, 105-foot-wide tanker scraped the bridge, but no oil spilled, emergency officials said. The fender around the bridge tower was crushed, but there was no structural damage to the span. The ship took a crazy path, it came down from the North Bay and sailed around to the south. Turning north and heading back, it wasn't clear why the ship took this route. Most ships come down and stay right and head out of the bay under the Golden Gate. But the ship turned left and headed south under the Bay Bridge before turning around and heading North again.
It was a clear calm day and the ship pilot was experienced so it must be due to pilot error. It is very hard to imagine what could have caused the ship go off course, poor boat handling more than likely.
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| Damage |
Emergency crews scrambled into action Monday when a tanker ship struck a Bay Bridge tower, but visions of catastrophe turned to relief after the damage was quickly assessed and news spread that a disaster had been averted. There are still a lot of questions that need to be answered about the 11:20 a.m. crash of the Overseas Reymar, but officials and observers said the emergency response went much more smoothly than the chaotic response in 2007.
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