Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Joins Federal, State and Local Officials to Announce $44 Million Settlement in 2007 Bay Bridge Crash and Oil Spill

SAN FRANCISCO --- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris joined federal, state, and Bay Area officials to announce a comprehensive civil settlement with the owners and operators of the M/V Cosco Busan, resolving all natural resource damages, penalties, and response costs that resulted from the ship striking the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in 2007, and the subsequent oil spill in the San Francisco Bay. The event killed thousands of birds, impacted a significant portion of the Bay’s 2008 herring spawn, spoiled miles of shoreline habitat and closed the Bay and area beaches to recreation and fishing.

“This Bay is the jewel of the San Francisco region and the Cosco Busan oil spill left a lasting scar across our water, natural habitats and wildlife,” Attorney General Harris said. “This settlement will allow all of these precious resources to be restored to their original health and beauty.”

The U.S. Department of Justice, the State of California, the City and County of San Francisco, and the City of Richmond signed and lodged a consent decree that requires Regal Stone Limited and Fleet Management Ltd., the owners and operators of the M/V Cosco Busan to pay $44.4 million for natural resource damages and penalties and to reimburse the governmental entities for response costs incurred as a result of the 53,000 gallon oil spill that occurred when the vessel struck the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on Nov. 7, 2007.

The full U.S. Department of Justice press release and consent decree is available for viewing at www.justice.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html.