Pilot Who Steered Ship That Struck Bay Bridge Suspended For 5 Months
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) -- State officials have suspended the license of the pilot in charge of the boat that side-swiped the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge last year for five months.
The Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun said Monday Guy Kleess won't be paid during the suspension. The cargo ship Overseas Reymar clipped the bridge on Jan. 7, causing about $3 million in damage. The bridge never closed and remained open to traffic.
It was the second-time since 2007 a large vessel controlled by a local pilot struck the bridge.
A cargo ship operated by Capt. John Cota struck the bridge in November 2007. That strike spilled 53,000 gallons of oil into the bay. Cota was sentenced to 10 months in prison.
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