The Coast Guard announced on Tuesday officials would interview the pilot of the oil tanker that nicked the Bay Bridge late Monday morning.
But immediate news of that interview was not clear. The Coast Guard had called a news conference for Tuesday morning, but then abruptly called it off.
The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday named Barry Strauch as the investigator in charge of the accident, which didn't cause any physical or environmental damage. Still, the NTSB called the accident a "major marine casualty," because the damage to the tanker and the base of a floating portion of the bridge cost more than $500,000.
The pilot, identified as Guy Kleess, of San Francisco apparently has already passed an alcohol test, and his drug results were pending, according to reports.
The Mercury News cites that Kleess, a former Exxon oil tanker captain, has been involved in at least three other shipping accidents since 2009.
According to state records the newspaper uncovered, Kleess ran aground a 550-foot cargo ship in Sacramento, crashed a 600-foot cargo ship near Stockton, and in 2010, was found at fault when a tugboat he was sailing ran aground in the Richmond inner harbor.
His 750-foot oil tanker, called the Overseas Reymar, did not cause any major damage or injuries when it struck one of the Bay Bridge towers late Monday morning. Coast Guard officials said the tanker essentially scraped the base of the so-called "Echo Tower," or Tower 6, on the far east side of the bridge's western span around 11:20 a.m.. The visibility at the time was about a quarter mile. The vessel was headed toward Martinez, officials said, to drop off some goods before heading out to sea.
Coast Guard Lt. Commander Shawn Lansing said there was no "spill or discharge into the water," and everyone aboard was safe.
Still, Lansing said, investigators are looking at the integrity of the ship, to make there is no extensive, internal structural damage. There was no damage to the Bay Bridge. The boat suffered a slight fender-bender on the starboard side of the ship, seen in the image below to the right .
But the most important thing to remember, Ney added emphatically: "The Bay Bridge is safe." He described the whole affair as a "scrape."
While this incident did not appear to wreak much havoc, the proximity of a tanker so close the Bay Bridge brought up immediate memories of the Cocso Busan.
That huge spill occurred on Nov. 7, 2007, when more than 53,000 gallons of fuel spilled into the San Francisco bay, after the container ship, the Cosco Busan, struck the Delta Tower of the Bay Bridge in thick fog.
Investigators in that case found that pilot John Cota was impaired from his use of prescription pharmaceuticals. He was sentenced to ten months in federal prison. Then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency, releasing a flow of funds to clean up the major environmental damage. Kleess' resume was made public Tuesday by the San Francisco Bar Pilots group, of which he was a member since 2005.
According to the resume, Kleess raduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy of Kings Point, N.Y., in 1976, graduating with dual majors in both the engine and deck departments. He received a Third Mates Unlimited License and also a Third Engineers Steam and Diesel Any Horsepower License upon graduation.
He worked at the Exxon Shipping Co. from 1976 to 1990, starting as a third mate and working his way up to captain. He worked at Boston Ocean Carriers from 1990 to 1991 as a captain on a 265,000 dead-weight tonnage tanker. And he worked at the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port from 1991 to 2003.
He was admitted to the San Francisco Bar Pilots Training Program in October 2003, and completed the program in October 2005. Kleess has also been with the port of Stockton and Sacramento since 2009. He's made 1,160 trips as a pilot since 2005.
But immediate news of that interview was not clear. The Coast Guard had called a news conference for Tuesday morning, but then abruptly called it off.
The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday named Barry Strauch as the investigator in charge of the accident, which didn't cause any physical or environmental damage. Still, the NTSB called the accident a "major marine casualty," because the damage to the tanker and the base of a floating portion of the bridge cost more than $500,000.
The pilot, identified as Guy Kleess, of San Francisco apparently has already passed an alcohol test, and his drug results were pending, according to reports.
The Mercury News cites that Kleess, a former Exxon oil tanker captain, has been involved in at least three other shipping accidents since 2009.
According to state records the newspaper uncovered, Kleess ran aground a 550-foot cargo ship in Sacramento, crashed a 600-foot cargo ship near Stockton, and in 2010, was found at fault when a tugboat he was sailing ran aground in the Richmond inner harbor.
His 750-foot oil tanker, called the Overseas Reymar, did not cause any major damage or injuries when it struck one of the Bay Bridge towers late Monday morning. Coast Guard officials said the tanker essentially scraped the base of the so-called "Echo Tower," or Tower 6, on the far east side of the bridge's western span around 11:20 a.m.. The visibility at the time was about a quarter mile. The vessel was headed toward Martinez, officials said, to drop off some goods before heading out to sea.
Coast Guard Lt. Commander Shawn Lansing said there was no "spill or discharge into the water," and everyone aboard was safe.
Still, Lansing said, investigators are looking at the integrity of the ship, to make there is no extensive, internal structural damage. There was no damage to the Bay Bridge. The boat suffered a slight fender-bender on the starboard side of the ship, seen in the image below to the right .
But the most important thing to remember, Ney added emphatically: "The Bay Bridge is safe." He described the whole affair as a "scrape."
While this incident did not appear to wreak much havoc, the proximity of a tanker so close the Bay Bridge brought up immediate memories of the Cocso Busan.
That huge spill occurred on Nov. 7, 2007, when more than 53,000 gallons of fuel spilled into the San Francisco bay, after the container ship, the Cosco Busan, struck the Delta Tower of the Bay Bridge in thick fog.
Investigators in that case found that pilot John Cota was impaired from his use of prescription pharmaceuticals. He was sentenced to ten months in federal prison. Then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency, releasing a flow of funds to clean up the major environmental damage. Kleess' resume was made public Tuesday by the San Francisco Bar Pilots group, of which he was a member since 2005.
According to the resume, Kleess raduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy of Kings Point, N.Y., in 1976, graduating with dual majors in both the engine and deck departments. He received a Third Mates Unlimited License and also a Third Engineers Steam and Diesel Any Horsepower License upon graduation.
He worked at the Exxon Shipping Co. from 1976 to 1990, starting as a third mate and working his way up to captain. He worked at Boston Ocean Carriers from 1990 to 1991 as a captain on a 265,000 dead-weight tonnage tanker. And he worked at the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port from 1991 to 2003.
He was admitted to the San Francisco Bar Pilots Training Program in October 2003, and completed the program in October 2005. Kleess has also been with the port of Stockton and Sacramento since 2009. He's made 1,160 trips as a pilot since 2005.