Coast Guard Commandant To Travel To San Francisco To Assess Oil Spill Cleanup Efforts

Nov. 10, 2007 -- WASHINGTON - Coast Guard Commandant Thad W. Allen will visit San Francisco tomorrow to review progress in cleanup efforts in the Cosco Busan oil spill in San Francisco Bay. He will tour affected areas, review progress of the cleanup and meet with local leaders.

The Coast Guard is the federal on-scene coordinator for cleanup of an oil spill that occurred when motor vessel Cosco Busan, a 900-foot container carrier, hit one of the towers of the San Francisco Bay Bridge Wednesday morning. The Coast Guard is coordinating activities of 40 state, federal and local agencies in cleanup operations. To date, the following information has been reported:

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* 11 skimmers are currently deployed on the water
* 10 wildlife recovery teams are on the beaches
* Over 9,500 gallons of fuel oil have been recovered to date
* Over 38,000 feet of boom has been placed around the area to soak up and corral the oil
* More than 450 people from 40 federal, state, local, and private agencies are involved with the response efforts, including 200 trained responders who arrived today to supplement the initial response team.
* 94 live, oiled birds are being rehabilitated
* There have been 28 confirmed deceased birds reported

The public is reminded that they should avoid areas and wildlife that are oiled, as untrained persons may cause further damage, while attempting to assist.

Source: U.S. Coast Guard