Cosco Busan Research Articles

Distribution and Genetic Structure of Fucus distichus Linnaeus 1953 (formerly F. gardneri) within Central San Francisco Bay

Fucus distichus, a rockweed common to the mid-intertidal shoreline within the San Francisco Estuary (previously known as F. gardneri), was injured during the Cosco Busan oil spill in November 2007 and subsequent clean-up actions. Restoration planning activities are underway to help recover F. distichus at sites within central San Francisco Bay where damage occurred. As a first step, we conducted shoreline surveys during the summers of 2012–2013 to map the occurrence of this rockweed. Of the 151.73 km of rocky shoreline within the central bay, F. distichus covered 32.16 km of shoreline. The alga generally occurred in narrow bands but formed expansive beds at locations with natural, flat bedrock benches. We also observed F. distichus on artificial substrata such as seawalls and riprap, but not on pilings. Samples of F. distichus from 11 sites throughout the central / east San Francisco Bay were genetically analyzed (microsatellite genotyping). The populations analyzed (1) had low genetic diversity, (2) the frequency of homozygotes was higher than expected (suggesting high inbreeding), and (3) also displayed geographic population structure, in part driven by very small differences in the midst of extremely low within-population genetic diversity. However, these genetic data do not raise concerns for restoration methods in terms of choosing donor populations and mixing F. distichus from different sites within the central bay. The choice of donor populations should be based on practical criteria for effective restoration; individuals will nonetheless be taken from locations as nearby to donor sites as possible. Various locations throughout the central San Francisco Bay are composed of cobble or small riprap that are populated with F. distichus, which could provide efficient means of translocating rockweed for future restoration activities.

The Refugio Oil Spill Response: Case Study and Lessons’ Learned/Best Practices for the Future

ABSTRACT The Refugio Oil Spill occurred on May 19, 2015, due to the failure of an underground pipeline, owned and operated by a subsidiary of Plains All-American Pipeline near Highway 101 in Santa Barbara County. The Responsible Party initially estimated the amount of crude oil released at about 104,000 gallons, with 21,000 gallons reaching the ocean. A Unified Command (UC) was established consisting of Incident Commanders from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR), Santa Barbara County, and Plains Pipeline with additional participation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California State Parks. Within hours, the CDFW closed fisheries and the following day Governor Brown declared a state of emergency for Santa Barbara County. The released oil caused heavy oiling of both on and offshore areas at Refugio State Beach and impacted other areas of Santa Barbara and Ventura. A number of factors created unique challenges for the management of this response. In addition to direct natural resource impacts, the closure of beaches and fisheries occurred days before the Memorial Day weekend resulting in losses for local businesses and lost opportunities for the public. The Santa Barbara community, with its history with oil spills and environmental activism, was extremely concerned and interested in involvement, including the use of volunteers on beaches. Also this area of the coast has significant tribal and archeologic resources that required sensitive handling and coordination. Finally, this area of California’s coast is a known natural seep area which created the need to distinguish spilled from ‘naturally occurring’ oil. Most emergency responses, including oil spills, follow a similar pattern of command establishment, response and cleanup phases, followed by non-response phase monitoring, cleanup and restoration. This paper will analyze the Refugio oil spill response in three primary focus areas: 1) identify the ways in which this spill response was unique and required innovative and novel solutions; 2) identify the ways in which this response benefited from the ‘lessons’ learned from both the Deepwater Horizon and Cosco Busan oil spills; and 3) provide a summary of OSPR’s response evaluation report for Refugio, with specific focus on how the lessons learned and best practices will inform future planning efforts within California.

Susceptibility of seagrass to oil spills: A case study with eelgrass, Zostera marina in San Francisco Bay, USA

Existing literature illustrates inconsistent responses of seagrasses to oil exposure, both in the field and in the laboratory. Here, we add a new study that combined morphometric, demographic and photophysiology assessments to determine the potential oiling impacts to eelgrass (Zostera marina) from the 2007 Cosco Busan event in San Francisco Bay. Shoot densities, reproductive status, and rhizome elongation of Z. marina were examined at sites with pre-spill data, and eelgrass photosynthetic efficiency was measured post-spill. Shoot densities and percent elongation of rhizome internodes formed after the oil spill varied but with no consistent relationship to adjacent shoreline cleanup assessment team (SCAT) oiling categories. Similarly, differences in seagrass photosynthetic efficiency were not consistent with SCAT oiling categories. While thresholds for negative impacts on seagrass in general remain to be defined, conclusive oiling indicators for degree and duration of exposure would be important considerations and need examination under controlled study.

Modeling the effects of evaporation and dissolution for a heavy fuel oil: the M/V Cosco Busan spill

Characterizing and distinguishing losses of hydrocarbons from evaporation and dissolution are necessary for calculating mass balances, assessing exposures, and estimating damages following a spill. We investigated these processes following the 2007 M/V Cosco Busan heavy fuel oil spill (San Francisco Bay, CA). We examined oil-covered rocks from the coastline of San Francisco Bay by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GCXGC). GCXGC retention times were used to estimate compound vapor pressures and solubilities. Data within the chromatograms are presented as mass loss tables (MLTs), which allow for visualization of weathering trends as a function of vapor pressure and aqueous solubility. To gain a more quantitative understanding, a physiochemical model was developed to describe evaporation and dissolution. This model is distinct from previous efforts because it allows composition of the oil film to vary with depth as diffusion out of the oil occurs. The trends from the model results are consistent with evaporation and dissolution trends observed in the MLTs. The model enables quantitative estimation of evaporation and dissolution for petroleum hydrocarbon compounds following a spill. The model underestimates observed losses for compounds with vapor pressures <~10-3 Pa. Model sensitivity to input parameters and uncertainty were also examined.

Understanding the Keys to Effective Information Management and Situation Display During a Pollution Response

ABSTRACT As technology and access to information increases, so do the expectations by leadership and the public for the highest quality and most current information during a pollution response (USCG, 2010). This demand is essential to the incident's decision-making process and for situational awareness (USCG, 2010, 2011a). The influx of response data generated must be met by savvy teams of information managers who can provide this need in a timely, efficient manner. This process is further complicated by the relationship between government and industry responders, both of whom often have different information management requirements yet need to work cooperatively with the same data (USCG, 2011b). In this paper, information management common themes, successes, and failure points from three case studies including the M/V Cosco Busan oil spill, the Hurricane Sandy pollution response, and the U.S./Canada CANUSLANT oil spill exercise are discussed. Although these incidents and exercise have significant operational differences, the need for efficient dissemination of quality information remains the same.

Molecular Evidence of Heavy-Oil Weathering Following the M/V Cosco Busan Spill: Insights from Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry

Recent studies have highlighted a critical need to investigate oil weathering beyond the analytical window afforded by conventional gas chromatography (GC). In particular, techniques capable of detecting polar and higher molecular weight (HMW; > 400 Da) components abundant in crude and heavy fuel oils (HFOs) as well as transformation products. Here, we used atmospheric pressure photoionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (APPI FT-ICR MS) to identify molecular transformations in oil-residue samples from the 2007 M/V Cosco Busan HFO spill (San Francisco, CA). Over 617 days, the abundance and diversity of oxygen-containing compounds increased relative to the parent HFO, likely from bio- and photodegradation. HMW, highly aromatic, alkylated compounds decreased in relative abundance concurrent with increased relative abundance of less alkylated stable aromatic structures. Combining these results with GC-based data yielded a more comprehensive understanding of oil spill weathering. For example, dealkylation trends and the overall loss of HMW species observed by FT-ICR MS has not previously been documented and is counterintuitive given losses of lower molecular weight species observed by GC. These results suggest a region of relative stability at the interface of these techniques, which provides new indicators for studying long-term weathering and identifying sources.

Oil Spill Source Identification by Principal Component Analysis of Electrospray Ionization Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectra

One fundamental challenge with either acute or chronic oil spills is to identify the source, especially in highly polluted areas, near natural oil seeps, when the source contains more than one petroleum product or when extensive weathering has occurred. Here we focus on heavy fuel oil that spilled (~200,000 L) from two suspected fuel tanks that were ruptured on the motor vessel (M/V) Cosco Busan when it struck the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in November 2007. We highlight the utility of principal component analysis (PCA) of elemental composition data obtained by high resolution FT-ICR mass spectrometry to correctly identify the source of environmental contamination caused by the unintended release of heavy fuel oil (HFO). Using ultrahigh resolution electrospray ionization (ESI) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry, we uniquely assigned thousands of elemental compositions of heteroatom-containing species in neat samples from both tanks and then applied principal component analysis. The components were based on double bond equivalents for constituents of elemental composition, CcHhN1S1. To determine if the fidelity of our source identification was affected by weathering, field samples were collected at various intervals up to two years after the spill. We are able to identify a suite of polar petroleum markers that are environmentally persistent, enabling us to confidently identify that only one tank was the source of the spilled oil: in fact, a single principal component could account for 98% of the variance. Although identification is unaffected by the presence of higher polarity, petrogenic oxidation (weathering) products, future studies may require removal of such species by anion exchange chromatography prior to mass spectral analysis due to their preferential ionization by ESI.

Information density in bridge team communication and miscommunication—a quantitative approach to evaluate maritime communication

The paper presents a method for measuring the information flow in bridge team communication based on an analysis of the voyage data recorder transcript of MV Cosco Busan alliding with a bridge pillar in San Francisco Bay in dense fog. The aim is to assess the efficiency of maritime communication by developing a specific index suitable for evaluating individual and team communication performance. The allision investigated in this paper leads to the conclusion that the information flow in bridge team communication can be measured quantitatively and that a correlation to external situational factors can be demonstrated.

“中远釜山”轮碰撞大桥事故分析与反思

海损事故案例分析是船舶安全管理研究的一种方式。为了破断与引航员相关的事故链，避免类似事故的发生，详细分析了“中远釜山”轮碰撞海湾大桥事故的海事报告。海事报告显示事故发生的原因之一是由于当事引航员的工作疏忽和不严谨的工作态度。引航员应当从这起事故中吸取教训，充分重视引航的重要性，端正工作态度，以确保引航安全。 The case analysis of marine accident is a means for the research of ship safety management. In order to break the pilot relevant accident chain, to avoid the occurrence of similar accident, we make a thorough investigation of the Sea Protest involved with the incident that the container vessel COSCO BUSAN stuck the Bay Bridge. Sea Protest indicates that the pilot’s negligence of work and arbitrary working attitude is one of the reasons for the occurrence of the incident. Pilots should learn from the incident and pay great attention to the importance of the pilotage, possess proper working attitude, make sure the safety of pilotage.

Post-release survival of surf scoters following an oil spill: An experimental approach to evaluating rehabilitation success

Birds are often the most numerous vertebrates damaged and rehabilitated in marine oil spills; however, the efficacy of avian rehabilitation is frequently debated and rarely examined experimentally. We compared survival of three radio-marked treatment groups, oiled, rehabilitated (ORHB), un-oiled, rehabilitated (RHB), and un-oiled, non-rehabilitated (CON), in an experimental approach to examine post-release survival of surf scoters (Melanitta perspicillata) following the 2007 M/V Cosco Busan spill in San Francisco Bay. Live encounter-dead recovery modeling indicated that survival differed among treatment groups and over time since release. The survival estimate (±SE) for ORHB was 0.143±0.107 compared to CON (0.498±0.168) and RHB groups (0.772±0.229), suggesting scoters tolerated the rehabilitation process itself well, but oiling resulted in markedly lower survival. Future efforts to understand the physiological effects of oil type and severity on scoters are needed to improve post-release survival of this species.

Potent Phototoxicity of Marine Bunker Oil to Translucent Herring Embryos after Prolonged Weathering

Pacific herring embryos (Clupea pallasi) spawned three months following the Cosco Busan bunker oil spill in San Francisco Bay showed high rates of late embryonic mortality in the intertidal zone at oiled sites. Dead embryos developed to the hatching stage (e.g. fully pigmented eyes) before suffering extensive tissue deterioration. In contrast, embryos incubated subtidally at oiled sites showed evidence of sublethal oil exposure (petroleum-induced cardiac toxicity) with very low rates of mortality. These field findings suggested an enhancement of oil toxicity through an interaction between oil and another environmental stressor in the intertidal zone, such as higher levels of sunlight-derived ultraviolet (UV) radiation. We tested this hypothesis by exposing herring embryos to both trace levels of weathered Cosco Busan bunker oil and sunlight, with and without protection from UV radiation. Cosco Busan oil and UV co-exposure were both necessary and sufficient to induce an acutely lethal necrotic syndrome in hatching stage embryos that closely mimicked the condition of dead embryos sampled from oiled sites. Tissue levels of known phototoxic polycyclic aromatic compounds were too low to explain the observed degree of phototoxicity, indicating the presence of other unidentified or unmeasured phototoxic compounds derived from bunker oil. These findings provide a parsimonious explanation for the unexpectedly high losses of intertidal herring spawn following the Cosco Busan spill. The chemical composition and associated toxicity of bunker oils should be more thoroughly evaluated to better understand and anticipate the ecological impacts of vessel-derived spills associated with an expanding global transportation network.

Unexpectedly high mortality in Pacific herring embryos exposed to the 2007 Cosco Busan oil spill in San Francisco Bay

In November 2007, the container ship Cosco Busan released 54,000 gallons of bunker fuel oil into San Francisco Bay. The accident oiled shoreline near spawning habitats for the largest population of Pacific herring on the west coast of the continental United States. We assessed the health and viability of herring embryos from oiled and unoiled locations that were either deposited by natural spawning or incubated in subtidal cages. Three months after the spill, caged embryos at oiled sites showed sublethal cardiac toxicity, as expected from exposure to oil-derived polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs). By contrast, embryos from the adjacent and shallower intertidal zone showed unexpectedly high rates of tissue necrosis and lethality unrelated to cardiotoxicity. No toxicity was observed in embryos from unoiled sites. Patterns of PACs at oiled sites were consistent with oil exposure against a background of urban sources, although tissue concentrations were lower than expected to cause lethality. Embryos sampled 2 y later from oiled sites showed modest sublethal cardiotoxicity but no elevated necrosis or mortality. Bunker oil contains the chemically uncharacterized remains of crude oil refinement, and one or more of these unidentified chemicals likely interacted with natural sunlight in the intertidal zone to kill herring embryos. This reveals an important discrepancy between the resolving power of current forensic analytical chemistry and biological responses of keystone ecological species in oiled habitats. Nevertheless, we successfully delineated the biological impacts of an oil spill in an urbanized coastal estuary with an overlapping backdrop of atmospheric, vessel, and land-based sources of PAC pollution.

Behavior and Survival of Rehabilitated Surf Scoters (Melanitta Perspicillata) Oiled during the Cosco Busan Spill on San Francisco Bay

ABSTRACT Following the spill of bunker oil from the M/V Cosco Busan into San Francisco Bay, California on 7 November 2007, we evaluated the foraging characteristics, survival and movements of surf scoters (Melanitta perspicillata) that had been rehabilitated following formal rehabilitation protocols through the use of intracoelomic implants of radio transmitters and aerial/land based tracking. We compared these behavioral attributes of oiled surf scoters to surf scoters that were not oiled, but instead captured and released or put through the same rehabilitation procedure (thus separating the rehabilitation/captivity effects from the oiling). Initial behavioral observations have shown that mean home range size was greatest for unrehabilitated birds, and oiled birds were observed closer to shore than either the un-oiled rehabilitated or control group. Survival was also seen to differ among treatment groups and over encounter occasions, with cumulative winter survival estimates being lowest for oiled birds ...

Oil Spill Volunteers: From Lessons Learned to Cooperative Policies

ABSTRACT In 2007, the COSCO BUSAN oil spill in San Francisco prompted an outpouring of volunteer assistance from the local community. Among them were an unprecedented number of “convergent” volunteers, comprised largely of concerned local citizens who wanted to help, but were unaffiliated with any formal organization. Managing so many volunteers proved difficult and ultimately pointed out gaps in the policies dealing with coordination and management of a spill response volunteer workforce. Lessons learned from that incident prompted the creation of National Response Team (NRT) Volunteer Workgroup, a subcommittee charged with identifying volunteer management gaps, and creating effective new policies to fill them. From 2008 to the present, more than 20 workgroup members from 11 federal agencies have collaborated on volunteer policy development, creating two significant advances in the area of spill response volunteer management. The first is the development of a set of interagency technical assistance guide...

California Marine Oil Spill Fisheries Closure: Key Processes of the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) During a Fisheries Closure Event

ABSTRACT Following the 2007 M/V Cosco Busan oil spill in San Francisco Bay, California, legislation was enacted to provide for the closure of fisheries by the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) after oil spills in marine waters. This legislation (DFG Code Section 5654) facilitated a partnership between the state's primary oil spill responder, the Department of Fish and Game, Office of Spill Prevention and Response (DFG/OSPR), and the state's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), the agency responsible for determining whether fish caught in California waters can be safely consumed. A fisheries closure protocol established as a result of the statute stipulates the role of staff at both agencies, from the initial spill responders to data evaluation and reopening of a closed fishery. OEHHA staff is required to assess the need for fisheries closure following a spill event. When a fisheries closure is deemed necessary for more than 48 hours, OEHHA will select species and chemicals for analysis, determine sampling strategies, conduct a risk assessment on the safety of fish and shellfish consumption, and work with DFG/OSPR to modify closure boundaries, if indicated. Relevant case study information from California spills, including the T/V Dubai Star is shown.

Utilizing Volunteers during an Oiled Wildlife Response: The M/V Cosco Busan Oil Spill

ABSTRACT This paper provides an introduction to components of the volunteer management system used during oiled wildlife responses within the State of California. A case study is presented of the volunteer management system utilized during the M/V Cosco Busan Oil Spill in San Francisco Bay, November 2007. Wildlife collection and care were administered through a partnership between the State of California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) and the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) based at the Wildlife Health Center, University of California, Davis. The OSPR and OWCN volunteer coordinators managed approximately 1850 volunteers who contributed to the oiled wildlife response. Volunteer notification and response, emergency volunteer center activation, specific challenges of managing both trained and convergent volunteers, and wildlife operations are discussed. Program changes for improved future volunteer management and communication during oiled wildlife respo...

New Public Management and Crisis Mitigation: The 2007 M/V Cosco Busan Incident

The emergence of New Public Management (NPM) in the late 20th century challenged governments to develop collaborative networks as the path to service entrepreneurship, improved efficiency, and satisfying citizen needs. This case study—based on a 2007 San Francisco Bay incident—scrutinizes the NPM networks developed to prevent and respond to vessel oil spills within U.S. territorial waters. The study finds that adherence to the theoretical strengths identified in NPM networks become diluted because of mission shifts, budgetary challenges, and politics.

FUSING INCIDENT MANAGEMENT/RESPONSE WITH INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION/SECURITY … … THE “3 R+” CONCEPT

ABSTRACT The terrorist attacks of 9/11 brought an urgent, necessary call to protect the safety and security of the nations Critical Infrastructure/Key Resources (CI/KR). Most of these efforts have been to deter/prevent a terrorist attack through vulnerability assessment and increased physical security (e.g. “gates, guns and guards”). Just as the federal government was getting on solid ground with increased homeland security against the terrorist threat, the devastation of the 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita brought to light the need for a true “All Hazards” approach to response. Added to this is the growing awareness that environmental incidents could significantly impact regional stability, and even threaten national security. Simply stated: “Yesterday'S major oil spill could be tomorrow'S national security incident.” The November 2007 allision (and resulting serious oil spill) of the tank ship COSCO BUSAN with the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, provided a glimpse into these concerns and brought increased attention back upon this long standing marine safety mission. Ironically the 2006 “Safe Seas” exercise tested almost the very scenario of the COSCO BUSAN one year ago to the day of the spill. “Safe Seas” and other major drills (like “TOPOFF,” etc.) are tremendous tools for government and private sector stakeholders to enhance preparedness to response and test existing security and infrastructure protection systems. Given the above, traditional Oil Spill Response (OSR) is now part of a broader, more complicated systems-approach to domestic Incident Management (IM). The United States Coast Guard'S Marine Environmental Protection (MEP) mission has required the unique military I regulatory service to forge a collaborative relationship with the oil and gas industry - or “sector” (as defined in the National Infrastructure Protection Plan NIPP). This government-to-industry partnership was born out of decades of marine safety prevention/response efforts most visible following the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90). Many involved in the field of emergency management; as well as their security counterparts recognize it is difficult to understand both IM and IP, despite the myriad of new and developing federal plans and doctrine as we pass the half way point of the first decade in the Post 9/11 “new normalcy.” Due to dynamic and synergistic partnership between the U.S. Coast Guard and the American Petroleum Institute (API) a coordination and communication opportunity was identified that resulted in a concept of simplifying the landscape via a” 3 R+” concept. The focus areas of this paper are:To bring increased clarity to the current and emerging state of interoperability between the government and the private industry sector.Provide a simplified “Big Picture” view of what private sector professionals (middle to upper management in the emergency response/safety & health fields) need to know regarding the framework of the national system for our critical infrastructure and first line response, using the oil & gas sector as an example; Note: Although the target audience for this papen/presentation are private sector professionals, primarily in the response and security fields, the plans highlighted and information outlined could apply to those working IM or IP in any industry or government sector.