C. Guard CO overseeing spill response replaced

C. Guard CO overseeing spill response replaced
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Nov 14, 2007 19:29:33 EST

WASHINGTON — The Coast Guard officer overseeing the response to last week’s oil spill has been replaced.

Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen announced the move Wednesday at a hearing on Capitol Hill.

Capt. William Uberti, the Coast Guard commander for the bay region, was replaced by Capt. Paul Gugg.

The agency has been criticized for allowing a lapse of several hours between when officials knew the spill was 58,000 gallons — not 140 gallons as initially reported — and when that information was made public. The spill occurred last Thursday after a cargo ship sideswiped the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

Allen said the Coast Guard will review its own response, a process that will include the city of San Francisco, the state of California and others.

Separately, the National Transportation Safety Board and the U.S. attorney’s office are also investigating. Officials have ruled out mechanical error and are focusing on actions of the pilot and crew of the boat, the Cosco Busan.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/11/ap_coastguardspill_071114/