SAN FRANCISCO – The Hong Kong-based company that operates the cargo ship that caused a 2007 oil spill in San Francisco Bay has pleaded guilty to criminal charges.
Fleet Management Ltd. pleaded guilty to charges of obstruction, making false statements and negligent discharge of oil and agreed to pay a $10 million fine, under a deal reached with prosecutors. A federal judge still must approval the deal.
The Cosco Busan sideswiped the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on a foggy morning on Nov. 7, 2007. The ship spilled 53,000 gallons of oil into the water, killing thousands of birds and other wildlife and fouling miles of shoreline.
The ship's pilot, John Cota, was sentenced to 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to two misdemeanor charges.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox