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On November 7, the container ship Cosco Busan struck a Bay
Bridge tower and caused a 58,000-gallon oil spill into the San Francisco Bay. One
month and a half later, the cleanup of the Pacific shoreline came to an end,
but it will continue inside the bay, near Horseshoe Cove in Marin, the Berkeley
Marina and Point Isabel in East Bay.
So far, according to the Department of Fish and Games,
approximately 1,800 birds were found dead, out of which 648 died after being
rescued. At the same time, out of the 1,100 live birds that have been rescued,
390 have already been released.
The Cosco Busan is insured for $300 million and it was
required to post a $79.5 million before leaving for South Koreea for further
repairs.
The costs for the clean up and recovery will be supported by
regal Stone Ltd., owner of the ship, said Department of Fish and Game
representatives, after approximating a total bill of around $61 million.
Stevie Winger, from the Department of Fish and Game, said,
according to abc7news.com: "That is just for the cleanup costs, not the
individual claims that are going to come from the people that lost work time,
that were not able to fish. It's not going to cover the people that were not
able to go out and enjoy wild life or enjoy the outdoors."
Meanwhile, Admiral Thad Allen, commander of the Coast Guard,
was asked to testify before a Congressional committee on the $61 million price
tag and the $61.8 million the liability limit set by the Coast Guar, the San
Francisco Chronicle reported.
Cosco Busan had to undergo emergency reparations before
leaving for South Koreea, which were valued around $1.5 million. The repairs
were performed at the BAE Systems San Francisco shipyard.
While the Cosco Busan is set to go back to Asia, the
Department of Fish and Games continues the cleanup, which is said to last
approximately two more months.
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