San Francisco Oil Spill Maps

San Francisco Bay Oil Spill November 7, 2007. The Chinese-flagged Cosco Busan strikes the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, gashing the 65,000-ton ship's hull and spilling a estimated 58,000 gallons of fuel oil into the Bay.

• San Francisco Bay Oil Spill November 7, 2007 >

Aftermath of the oil spill. See the areas affected by the 58,000 gallons of fuel that spilled into the bay after a container ship rammed the Bay Bridge.

• Aftermath of the oil spill >

San Francisco’s Bay Bridge Oil Spill

A couple of days ago a ship hit the Bay Bridge just outside of San Francisco and ruptured its hull. I was not aware at the time it but it leaked out 58,000 gallons of oil into the bay which has led Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to declare a state of emergency in the area to get it cleaned up.

San Francisco is one of my favorite places and I'll always remember it for all the sea birds, seals, sea lions, otters, and various creatures that make the situation that much more horrible to comprehend.

Although the San Francisco’s Bay Bridge Oil Spill remains largely inside the bay, tidal action and winds have spread the spill outside the Golden Gate and up the Marin County coastline, as far as Muir Beach.

Wildlife authorities said the number of birds caught in the sticky spill continues to climb, with 73 taken in for treatment and 19 found dead. Those numbers, authorities say, are likely to grow into the hundreds over the coming days. Scores of wildlife experts and volunteers are combing the shorelines for oil-blackened birds.

NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration is providing trajectory predictions to the Unified Command, which is led by the U.S. Coast Guard and includes NOAA, along with the U.S. Department of Interior and the State of California's Fish and Game Office of Oil Spill Prevention and Response.

There are several methods the oil spill response teams can use to clean up, it all depends on the type of oil, the weather and the habitat.

Today, they're using skimmers, a device that removes oil from the water's surface. The fuel that spilled into the San Francisco bay today is a nasty oil that breaks down slowly.

Crews also use these flexible floating booms to keep the oil from spreading into certain areas.

More than 200 workers and officials were cleaning up the fuel that leaked after the Cosco Busan container ship hit a base of the Bay Bridge near Treasure Island. The Coast Guard expected the clean-up force to double on Saturday.

• San Francisco Bay oil spill spreads >
• Oil spill in San Francisco >
• Schwarzenegger declares Bay oil spill emergency >
• San Francisco Bay Oil Spill: Oiled Birds at Rescue Center >
• Cleaning Up The San Francisco Oil Spill >
• Oil Spill of the Century in San Fran Bay, Environmentalists Remain Calm >
• NOAA Responds to San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Oil Spill >