the coast guard says it warned the shape by radio it was in dangerous and the coast guard is calling it a major marine casualty because this is more than half a million in damage. here is a look from treasure island the overseas "overseas raymar" that remains anchored in san francisco bay. this is a live picture there, you can see it is lit up and, again, there will be boarding this morning, so that crews can continue to investigate. overhead, coast guard investigators were on before the tanker and they interviewed the bar pilot, guy kleess at the helm of where the accident occurred and he has passed an alcohol test, the results of a drug test yet pending. more on the investigation in 30 minutes. >> we have been tweeting about this since the story broke. you can keep up by following abc7 news bay area open twitter and more at abc7news.com including a slide show with pictures of the damage. >> a peninsula community is mobilizing to prepare for a possible flood along the creek because major damage in a storm last month. amy hollyfield is live in pal alto. what are they doing? >> they w

can you tell us where the coast guard investigation is rise now?>> yes, our investigation right now currently is we have investigators and inspectors on the vessel searching every inch of the vehicle. they got permission to go in and they are searching the area where the vessel hit impact with the bay bridge. they are now looking into seeing if there is damage to the hull and that area and they continue to investigate and interview the crew on boards as well as pilot. >> as that ship was headed toward that tower, you are telling me the coast guard was in communication. talk to me about that. >> what happens when a ship leaves or leaves the dock they are in constant, communication with the pilot and the coast guard. what happens is, they stay in communication letting them know their course, their direction, visibility and that kind of information. in this case they were in constant communication with the pilot prior for the incident happening. >> do you know what was said? how the ship got off course? >>guest: i don't have that information and the c

can you tell us where the coast guard investigation is rise now? yes, our investigation right now currently is we have investigators and inspectors on the vessel searching every inch of the vehicle. they got permission to go in and they are searching the area where the vessel hit impact with the bay bridge. they are now looking into seeing if there is damage to the hull and that area and they continue to investigate and interview the crew on boards as well as pilot. >> as that ship was headed toward that tower, you are telling me the coast guard was in communication. talk to me about that. >> what happens when a ship leaves or leaves the dock they are in constant, communication with the pilot and the coast guard. what happens is, they stay in communication letting them know their course, their direction, visibility and that kind of information. in this case they were in constant communication with the pilot prior for the incident happening. >> do you know what was said? how the ship got off course? >>guest: i don't have that information and the coa

the coast guard is discouraging people from watching the contest on a boat.ey hope boaters will steer clear of pillar point. the waves could be 20 feet with strong currents. a coast guard lieutenant said it is not safe even on board a boat. >> it is dangerous especially during high surf warnings. if you have a small pleasure craft and you have a wave that is 30, 40 feet, the pleasure craft is not going to fair too well in the situation. >> reporter: this year the coast guard will not set up a safe zone in the water. it is put in place in years passed, and the coast guard spokesman said it is hard to figure out which areas are truly safe. at the same time spectators will not be allowed to watch from the shoreline. this change came after several people were hurt by a large wave back in 2010. >> it is somewhat disappointing because we can't watch the competition from up on the cliff up there. but it is under are standable they don't want people swept off the bluff like years ago. >> it should be a high surf warning from people standing on the shoreline. thinking

and the coast guard gave an advisory to those folks. >> the coast guard says it's reviewing audio tapes to find out more about the communication. guy cleese is an experienced oil rig captain. state records show in 2009, cleese ran aground, a 550-foot cargo ship in a sacramento shipping channel. and crashed a 600-foot cargo ship into a catwalk near stockton. in 2010, he was found at fault when a tugboat ran aground. a spokesperson says cleese passed an alcohol test and drug test results are pending. he is also scheduled to be interviewed by the coast guard tomorrow as this investigation continues. reporting live on treasure island, jean elle. >>> now, for some, the collision was too familiar. you may remember about five years ago, the container ship crashed into the bay bridge, in thick fog. a crash that led to an environmental disaster. here's a look at the two bridge towers involved in both of the crashes. on the left is the echo tower that raj mentioned, that was hit today. it is closest to the island. that's close to delta tower, that was hit back in 2007. that ship spilled 53,000 ga

just two years ago, we started with an understanding that our military, the coast guard, the u.s. navy, the marine corps, had something that we really needed. it's called logistics expertise. and we recognized that and with the help of our fleet week association, with the help of our honorary chair, former secretary of state george scholtz, along with senator feinstein who started fleet week, we began to appreciate in addition to appreciating the men and women in uniform and the wonderful attributes of having fleet week and the blue angels and the parade of ships, we could also be working on something very important to this city. all across the world there are examples after example and i know the men and women and leadership of the uss macon know this after their tour of duty these past months, all over the world there are disasters and emergencies that we are responding to and that you have become the humanitarian assistance and the disaster relief that is absolutely needed. why not practice that here? and so two years ago we gathered with our own departments from the port of sa

the coast guard checking out strikes the bay bridge.0 to 40 feet ot the fender system was damaged and will need to be replaced. the 750=foot ship sideswiped one of the bridge towers while traveling about the speed of a bowling ball. causes was it human error or something else. the accident coming five steering the container ship cosco busan into the same the oil tanker "overseas reymar" was empty when it slammed into one of the support towers. on the western span of the bridge late this morning. everyone on board the vessel is safe. and traffic continued to flow. as if still both the coast guard with more on what happened. is a vital link for forjust minutes after bay bridge tower number 6 was struck, caltrans dispatched the protective fender that surrounds the tower at the the very first thing our inspectors look for when safe. the initial investigation should that the fender took the brunt of the allusion and preformed as it was designed. about 30 feet of the fender has been damaged and will need to be replaced. it was damaged in a wa

coast guard documents reveal it could be equipment failure on the bridge. mariners rely on the equipment in question when it's foggy, and it was extremely foggy during monday's crash. nbc bay area's jean elle joins us on treasure island this evening where the damaged ship is still in plain sight. do we have any idea here still who is at fault? >> reporter: well, raj, investigators are hoping to answer that question. in the meantime, we are learning there is a navigational aid system set up on the bay bridge. and according to coast guard documents, part of that system may have failed. an important navigational tool called raycon is now the focus of the investigation into the overseas raymar sideswipe of the bay bridge there are three transponders on the bridge. they help mariners travel safely between the concrete towers. >> the radar triggers a beam in the raycon, and the raycon sends that signal back out again. and it's displayed as a flash on the radar screen. >> reporter: former docking pilot and former maritime academy says when pilots are approaching t

coast guard. we love them. they do some amazing rescues. >> in 2012, they decided to pick their ten top videos. i have one that's particularly awesome. this video shows the severe weather in alaska. that coast guards have to deal with. this was the number seven video. and it's called iced over this is a rescue they pulled off on january 25th, 2012 in alaska, a fishing vessel was stranded, iced over. and of course, there go the wonderful members of the coast guard to rescue the team that was stranded. one of the coast guard members goes down on one of the lines and sends up one of the fishermen of course they ended up rescuing everybody. successful mission. >> i can't see the boat. >> i was thinking that. >> it's covered in ice. it is covered in ice. >> that's the boat. >> what about all this? >> that's impressive. that thing just gets locked in. it looks like somebody forgot it in the freezer. it's got freezer burn. >> eventually everyone is up on the helicopter. the successful mission, thumb's up. >> if this i

finally, the coast guard vessel services says audio recordings will show that the coast guard warned the ship before the collision. now, the ntsb is investigating 39 marine -- has investigated 39 accidents in the u.s. only two have been in california. the first in 2007 when the container ship cosco busan hit the bridge and in 2009, in san diego, when a small coast guard vessel collided with a small boat killing a small child. considering the massive amounts of traffic moving through the bay and the ports in la, long beach and san diego, that's an enviable state record. we're -- >> we are having some technical problems with tom's report on the situation with the tanker hitting the bay bridge tower, something the coast guard continues to investigate. >>> the oakland fire department is investigating a morning house fire. it happened just before 6:00 at 1415 pampas avenue. this is video from newschopper2 to thes say everyone got out safely. >>> pg&e must adhere to a new pipeline safety regime due to the san bruno gas explosion settlement. the contra costa times reports the utility will h

he will be interviewed by the coast guard sometime tomorrow. on average it will take six months-one year. reporting live, kron 4. >> pam: new tonight at 11. police have arrested the suspect who is accused of setting a woman on fire over the weekend-- dexter oliver is facing attempted murder and arson charges. authorities received information to where oliver was staying. he surrendered to police at a hotel in oakland. also new at 11. a federal court ruled that two medical marijuana dispensaries. harborside health center in oakland, and its smaller operation in san jose. will stay open. the court denied motions that would have stopped marijuana sales at the properties. however, a judge did schedule a hearing later this month, to hear further arguments from the city of oakland. the court found. that injunctions would not be an appropriate means of preventing illegal use of marijuana at those locations. harborside, the largest medical marijuana club in the state, has been in business for more than six years. >> jacqueline: with reduced visibility s

the coast guard said one surfer suffered a shoulder injury. mavericks is tomorrow. and an advisory is until tomorrow morning. the horn, we thought it was over. but it just started again. monte francis, nbc bay area news. >> we heard you all right. thank you very much. we'll see you at 6:00. >>> still ahead, the notre dame linebacker at the center of an alleged girlfriend hoax sheds some light on one of the strangest sports stories in recent memory. what manti te'o admits he wasn't completely truthful about. >>> even nonsports fans are watching to see what the truth is in one of the most bizarre stories in sports. today manti te'o denied he was involved in a hoax involving a fake online girlfriend. teo made his first comments last night with espn. he said he did not know for a sure that his girlfriend never existed until wednesday, when he said a man called and admitted to creating the online hoax, then apologized. te'o admitted to tailoring the story so it seemed like he met the woman before her supposed death. >> anthony is here with the forecast. >> temperatures g

kron4's maureen kelly attended a coast guard briefing where they outlined their next steps in the investigation. >> reporter: tuesday investitgators interviewed the bar pilot. the local person tasked with helping to manuever the 752 foot vessel thru these waters.the captain and key members of the crew will also be interviewed.drug and alcohol testing is already underway. the coast guard says human error is one of the possibilities they are looking at. >> that is something that we will always look at is. pilot error, can lend her. >> reporter: inspectors and investigators plan to go thru every inch of the ship. including testing the navigation equiptment meant to help guide the tanker around obstacles like the bridge. there was a quarter mile visability the day of the also under scrutiny.the physical damage the oil tanker sustained. >> we are trying to go to climb to get an internal

if we're a smaller coast guard tomorrow, we'll still have 10% of the coast guard here in the bay area. this is a critical hub for the coast guard. and when you look at the pacific, i expect to see our numbers to go up over time. so, i am not concerned in the least. my house and the 20 pacific area commanders before me, if you look out the door, that's my house right up from the light house. and, so, we are strategically located here in the bay. so, we will be here for the long term as well. >> any other questions from the audience? okay. if i could ask you one last one, that is, as you -- a number of you at the table have participated since 2010. so, have you looked at your broadened responsibilities and engaged in the world or engaged regionally and gaps have been identified, could you offer an aha moment for yourself personally in the process, or the gaps that still remains that is still troublesome to you that needs to be addressed? >> to me, my aha moment was last year. it was my first experience with the sls. it was the second one that we had conducted. so, there was some skill -

according to the coast guard this all happened this afternoon around 3:00 p.m.lear how the two vessels collided with each other or why they were so close. the teams from the san francisco fire department and coast guard scrambled to the collision. one of the people rescued was suffering from signs of hypothermia bought -- but both were safely brought to show. two people who saw the come police say it rattled a calm day. >> there was a coast guard boat and then there's something like police boat or something, like emergency team. reporter: a coast guard spokesperson tells me those two people who were rescued and brought here to shore were checked out by paramedics and were released. now, the tugboat that was involved in the collision, it is actually been ordered to return to its port as part -- to go for part of an investigation. the coast guard is going to look over that boat for damage as part of the standard part of their investigation in this incident. reporting live at fort baker, sergio quintana, abc7 news. >> thank you, sergio. an anti-abortion rally drew

>>> the man who piloted an oil tanker into the base of the bay bridge now interviewed by the coast guard -- coast guard. >>> one south bay city considers a pilot program to add european flair. >>> new developments in the case of a teen denied his eagle scout's application -- at noon. >>> we want to find out what happened and prevent anything like this from happening again if possible. >> the investigation into what led an oil tanker to hit the base of the bay bridge continues. good afternoon. i'm tori campbell. this morning, the pilot's whose tanker struck -- who struck the bay bridge is interviewed by the coast guard. cal has more >> reporter: the ship is still out here in the san francisco bay. the 750-tanker hit one of the support towers of the bay bridge yesterday around 11:00 in foggy conditions. authorities say no oil was leak. the ship had just unloaded at a martinez refinery. the coast guard officials told us this morning a little bit more about its investigation. >> we're gonna continue to interview important members of the crew which includes the pilot and we'll also continue t

the coast guard will review audiotap audiotapes. they were in contact just before the impact. >> the ship's captain they were in an outbound transit obviously and the coast guard gives an advisory to those folks. in communication with them just prior to the accident. >> reporter: state records show that he ran aground in san francisco in 2007 and in 2010 again. he passed an alcohol test, drug tests are still spending. reporting live on treasure island, christie smith, "today in the bay." >> all right. thank you very much. >>> let's check the forecast now with meteorologist christina loren. we're not teasing when you say possible 70s today. >> we're going to get close to it. we like to round up. i speak from the high end of the glass always full in my world. 39 in gilroy. 42 in sunnyvale. changes are just around the corner which is why i highly urge you to embrace the day. when temperatures are going to be mild. by tomorrow we drop off into low 50s. we bring in rain. very light. it will get cold around here. enjoy while it lasts. the

coast guard.d a briefing just wrapped up. investigators met with one another to figure out where things stand and where things are gonna go moving forward. we know the pilot of that vessel that 750-foot oil tanker will be interviewed at some point later on today. he's been identified as -- i'm trying to find his name here. george kleess. he has eight years experience as a bar pilot. he manning the ship when it struck one of the towers on the bay bridge. at this point, i want to bring in tam bailen with the u.s. coast guard. as far as the interview with the pilot, what do you hope to learn when you speak with him today? >> well, the pilot is just one of many people this we're gonna talk to about this incident that occurred yesterday. there's a lot we need to know, what were the factors that led to the accident. that's gonna be part of the investigation. of course, talking to the pilot, he's gonna provide vital information. that will be later on today. >> how much do you think weather played a role?

coast guard will be meeting with the pilot in a few hours. the "san jose mercury news" identifies him as guy kleess of san francisco. according to the merc, state reports show in 2009 kleess ran aground a 550-foot cargo ship in sacramento. that same year he crashed a 600- foot cargo ship into a catwalk in stockton. and in 2010, he was at fault when a tugboat ran aground in the richmond inner harbor. that pilot tested negative for alcohol. the coast guard says preliminary findings at this point show that the cause was probably human error. the investigation is expected to go on over the next few days so it could be a while before we know what happened. reporting live in treasure island, cate caugiran, cbs 5 >>> a man accused of setting his girlfriend on fire over the weekend in san francisco now under arrest. 22-year-old dexter oliver will be charged with attempted murder and arson for sunday's attack in the bayview. oliver was arrested yesterday at an oakland hotel. the victim, 25-year-old starr lamar still in the hospital with life-threateni

the coast guard says it warned the ship by radio it was in danger and the coast guard now is calling it a major marine casualty bass more than half a million in damage. this is a look from treasure island of the we ship, "overseas raymar" which is anchored in san francisco bay. we were over ahead when the coast guard investigators were on board yesterday interviewing the bar pilot, guy kleess, who was at helm when the accident occurred. he passed an alcohol test. a drug test result is pending. we will have more in 30 minutes. >> political leaders are tackling the issue of gun violence amid signs america is at a tipping point for taking action. vice president biden is holding high-level meetings today with victims groups, the n.r.a. and gun safety organizations. we are live in washington, dc, with the latest. >> good morning, kristen. the obama administration does not want to lose momentum for new gun legislation. they think now is the time to act. the vice president is bringing together all the stakeholders at the white house this week. >> the white house is speeding up efforts for a

the coast guard assess fog may have been a factor, cutting visibility to a quarter mile. this man got to work on treasure island just minutes before the accident. >> at that time i did not see -- only seen she ship -- ship light was right in front. reporter: the ship was empty, but as a precaution, oil booms have been set up around the vessel. the overseas raymar ordered to stay in san francisco bay fall coast guard investigation is complete, including drug and alcohol tests for the bar pilot and the captain. that could take several days. we're live, abc7 news. >> abc7 news was the first to report today's ship collision on twitter. you can follow us there. right now we have a slide show featuring pictures of the damage to the bridge support in addition to an unedited portion of the news conference. >> the iteam has uncovered new information about the bar pilot. he had two prior incident inside northern california. the first occurred august 27, 2009, when his ship grounded briefly while entering the port of sacramento. regulators ordered cleese to take four practice trips,

as those paying tribute to the coast guard. it's a good opportunity for tribute to the search and rescue services across the country. our reforms are aimed to prove average response time by 20%. that is why we're going ahead with these reforms, i'm sure the ministers will listen very carefully to what he said. >> thank you, mr. speaker. prime minister, since you came into office, unemployment has increased, risen by over 15% and youth unemployment has risen by 9% to my right honorable friend has made reference to you in respect of goodness will keep coming. would the prime minister be good enough to explain to the house, and my constituents, exactly what is his definition of good news? especially in view of the economy at the end of last year, and that will lead to other economic -- [inaudible] >> if you look at scotland, in scotland unemployment has fallen by 40,000 this quarter but it's fallen by 10,000 since the general election. the number of people employed in scotland has actually gone up, and at one point i think it is i

right now, the coast guard in the bay area as the investigation moves into terisa. what everyone wants to know. as investigators zero in on the damage caused to the when it struck here. the bridge. officials say the first order of business to try and piece together what happened. will be a series of extensive interviews with the bar pilot, guy kleess shown here. he was the local pilot thru the bay's waters. drug and alcohol testing hasthe coast guard says human error will be one of the possibilities they are will be looking at the navigation equipment on board designed to help guide the tanker around obstacles there was a quarter mile going back to that physical want to make sure the damage does not begin to leak any pollution such as fuel into we are also learning more this is a picture of guyas kron 4's dan kerman tells us, he has been investigated for three pervious incidents. the director of the simulation program at the state- of- the- art bridge simulator, to give us an idea of what it is like for pilots to navigate cargo ships on the bay through officials at

from the adjacent coast guard facility, the commander. and we have staff members from our congressional delegation. we have staff members from senator feinstein's office, nancy pelosi's office, and others. thank you for joining us today. [applause] throughout our history, safety and security has always been our priority. safety and security of our passengers, and safety of our employees. we are building on that commitment by commissioning what is the first fire rescue boat house facility on the west coast of the united states. more simply -- [airplane noise] we are at an airport. this is the first marine emergency response facility on the west coast. more simply, we can call it the first fireboat house at an airport. it is a core value for the airport team that we have worked together to provide an exceptional airport, that we are innovating, and that we work in partnership. this is a partnership between the fire department and the airport. great project work by airport staff and the division of design and construction, who designed this

. >> the coast guard will be out first thing in the morning checking worthiness of the tanker that hit the bay bridge. it hit echo tower the tower west of the island. linda yee is on treasure island. a lot of us remember a few years ago and the environmental nightmare it was but at least this tanker was empty. >> reporter: yes, it was. that tanker just unloaded its cargo of fuel in martinez and then anchored off south of the bay bridge in the bay to wait for possible new cargo. none of it happened so it decided to leave empty and they left and hit the bay bridge and now the coast guard is saying tonight, preliminary findings show, it was human error. when the tanker hit tower 6 the fog was thick and visibility a quarter mile. engineers found no significant damage and the bridge never closed down >> basically a scrape, for the bay bridge it didn't touch the actual structure itself. >> reporter: coast guard video shows some damage to the star board or right side of the double hulled tanker >> there is not a gash there is i would characterize a crushing of the hull where it aligned with t

the coast guard was in contact with the ship's captain and the pilots just before impact but the coast guard won't say what that communication was about yet. caltrans says they were on a boat minutes after. traffic was never interrupted. the investigation is now focusing on the ship and why it hit the bridge. the california department of fish and game is monitoring the investigation and is ready to respond to an oil spill incident but the coast guard says nothing is leaking from. it did offload fuel in martinez before heading out to sea this morning. the coast guard says the pilot and ship's captain will be tested for drugs and alcohol. the pilot onboard has been a pilot in san francisco since 2005. he says the man did pass an alcohol test and results of a drug test will take some time. the coast guard also says no one onboard this ship was injured and at this point they're trying to figure out why this oil tanker hit the bay bridge. reporting live on treasure island, jean elle, nbc bay area news. >> thank you. it was foggy. that is one of the things they'll look at especially since to

the coast guard assess fog may have been a factor, cutting visibility to a quarter mile. this man got to work on treasure island just minutes before the accident. >> at that time i did not see -- only seen she ship -- ship light was right in front. reporter: the ship was empty, but as a precaution, oil booms have been set up around the vessel. the overseas raymar ordered to stay in san francisco bay fall coast guard investigation is complete, including drug and alcohol tests for the bar pilot and the captain. that could take several days. we're live, abc7 news. >> abc7 news was the first to report today's ship collision on twitter. you can follow us there. right now we have a slide show featuring pictures of the damage to the bridge support in addition to an unedited portion of the news conference. >> the iteam has uncovered new information about the bar pilot. he had two prior incident inside northern california. the first occurred august 27, 2009, when his ship grounded briefly while entering the port of sacramento. regulators ordered cleese to take four practice trips,

coast guard says fog doesn't seem to have been a factor. the tanker will remain on hold in the nl the investigation is concluded. >> next step may to the bay to get it further evaluated or repaired. >> the crew will remain on board that ship. now no oil leaked out of the tanker, it's worth mentioning the coast guard classified this as a major marine casualty. as you said damage has exceeded $500,000. i'm live on treasure island abc 7 news. >> and now i team has been digging into the record and our dan noyes got a angry reaction at the bar pilot office today. >> it's part of the job i'm used to heated reactions to investigations. but i never expect simple questions to get physical. >> well we went to the bar pilot office to ask questions one of the bar pilots came out with out prodding from me began to yell some profanities at me began to push me. i had to call the police. at this point he continued to push me, while i was on the phone with police. and so i will have that package at some point later in the broadcast. >> hang with us we'll tr

the coast guard said the bar pilot and key crew members all passed the alcohol test and drug test results are pending. while the coast guard continues to gagger information, maritime experts say confusion on a ship's bridge can cause an accident. >> california law requires the ship to carry a pilot who is basically in command of the vessel. >> experienced mariner was the bar pilot in charge of the overseas when it hit a fender on the bay bridge monday. the coast guard said the vessel traffic service warned the ship moments before the accident. they won't reveal what was said even with a warning, maritime lawyer john hillsman said there can be confusion when a pilot and crew are working together. >> there can be communication problems. there can also be problems with leading the instrumentation. >> with light, sounds and charts and gps to consider, there is room for error. when they hit the bridge in 2007, investigators determined they misread the radar and headed straight for a tower. >> they mistook the reflector that indicated a bridge tower for the radar reflector indicating the middle

questions from the coast guard. where the manhunt for a boyfriend, suspected of setting girlfriend on fire, >>> the day after a tanker sideswipes the bay bridge, who will have to answer questions from the coast guard. >> where the manhunt ended of a man suspected of setting his girlfriend on fire ends. >> fog in the bay area and snow coming our way, too. we'll tell you when coming up. >> right now they are wrapping up roadwork on the upper deck of the bay bridge up the incline. we'll talk much more about your tuesday morning drive coming up. >>> good morning, everybody. it's tuesday, january 8. i'm michelle griego. >> hi, everyone. i'm frank mallicoat. it is another almost 5:00. >>> cate caugiran is on treasure island with some new information about the man in control of a ship that bumped into the bay bridge. she joins us with more. cate. >> reporter: good morning, frank. yeah, the pilot of the overseas reymar is going to be in the hot seat today. you can see that that tanker is still anchored out here as the coast

i believe this is the coast guard band. let's listen. ♪ >> this is the coast guard band.hey have been honoring earlier the navy, marine corps, and now the u.s. coast guard. you can see him there with the president of the united states. this is a nice tribute to the coast guard. they help us in so many ways that a lot of people don't even appreciate that they are there almost all of the time for us. they've done a remarkable job in all sorts of disasters and we are so, so happy to be able to salute the united states coast guard for the terrific work that they do. you see the president saluting the coast guard as well. let's take a quick break and resume our coverage right after this. so...how'd it go? well, dad, i spent my childhood living with monks learning the art of dealmaking. you've mastered monkey-style kung fu? no. priceline is different now. you don't even have to bid. master hahn taught you all that? oh, and he says to say (translated from cantonese) "you still owe him five bucks." your accent needs a little work. ♪ >> the northern state university marching wolve

the coast guard is investigating. >> a national transportati

>> reporter: the coast guard has ordered the vessel and not to go anywhere. and it digging into the investigation of why it swiped the tower # 6 of the bay bridge and the national transportation safety board has announced that it is investigating the crash is is that it is a major marine casualty with one half a million dollars in damage, so far. kron4's maureen kelly attended a coast guard briefing where they outlined their next steps in the investigation. >> reporter: tuesday investitgators interviewed the bar pilot. the local person tasked with helping to manuever the 752 foot vessel thru these waters.the captain and key members of the crew will also be interviewed.drug and alcohol testing is already underway. the coast guard says human error is one of the possibilities they are looking at. >> that is something that we will always look at is. pilot error, can lend her. >> reporter: inspectors and investigators plan to go thru every inch of the ship. including testing the navigation equiptment meant to help guide the tanker around obstacles like the bridge.

all 18 aboard were evacuated by the coast guard. the worry is the more than 160,000 gallons of diesel fuel and oil locked deep in the rig's hull, all being relentlessly battered by waves as high as four-story buildings. we spoke by phone with coast guard captain paul meler in anchorage. >> drifting where the "kulluk" sits on the rocks, this is going to be a challenging response that will take smart, calm people to figure out our way ahead. >> reporter: more than 500 people are involved in staging equipment nearby to help contain any leak or spill. >> there's always the threat with areas -- this vessel is on the rocks and there's still very heavy seas. so that's why we're moving with all these response equipment and preparing. >> reporter: the "kulluk" doesn't have its own propulsion. it was being towed to seattle for maintenance when it broke free. the rig is used largely for test drill and is part of shell's effort to open arctic waters to oil production. that exploration, though, has been opposed by environmentalist out of fear th

we have a strong working relationship with the coast guard and we're excited with the team to develop our relationship with the third fleet and marine corps as we mature this tactical man construct. >> thank you. we know that with humanitarian assistance and disaster response that what we learn domestically can be exported internationally and what we learn internationally we hope would be imported to our domestic programs. this morning as we listened to the medical panel and to vice admiral nathan's comments, we heard about some of the skills and expertise in the medical arena that have been learned internationally and are being brought to bear through the exchange both yesterday and today to the local scene. wondering if the panel has other examples that they could cite on where the benefits have been learned that have been taken, specific skills that have been taken internationally as we look at humantarian assistance, or that you know that you'd like to bring back and bring into the domestic arena. >> just this last summer, we conducted the rim of the pacific exercise 2012. we did

an airport control tower. >> the vessel itself, it was not under the control of the coast guard. the vessel is under the control of the pilot, and the ship's captain. >> the part of the right rear side of the double ship was crushed. the skin of the korean-built nine-year-old ship was not torn. >> so there was not any penetration of the -- the hull that we have found to date. the vessel is still seaworthy as far as we can tell. >> none theless, there's a 4,000-foot boom on standby just in case it might be needed. in the meantime the ship is going to stay anchored off the northwest corner of treasure island until all inspections and drug test are completed including any communications between the coast guard control center and the ship before it struck the bruj. tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> a train struck and killed a man and his dog today in hayward. the hayward fire department said a man was crossing the tracks about 7:45 this morning when he was hit by a capital corridor commuter train. it appears the man was pushing a bicycle across the tracks when the accident happened

the coast guard will be meeting with the pilot in a few hours. according to the "mercury news," state records show in 2009 the pilot ran aground a 550 cargo ship in sacramento. he also crashed a 600-foot cargo ship into a catwalk in stockton. and two years ago, he was at fault when a tugboat ran aground in the richmond inner harbor. now, back out live you can see that boat right here. we do know we want to make note that that pilot did test negative for alcohol. the coast guard says preliminary findings show it was probably human error. i understand that this investigation is expected to take several days so it will be a while before we have a cause of the crash. cate caugiran, cbs 5. >>> new this morning a gas station clerk in antioch depends off several robbers. this happened at a shell station at lone tree way and country hills drive. the clerk says three men came in and attacked him. he says he fought them off singlehandedly although they got away with a few cases of beer. we have a crew heading to the scene and will bring you an update short

the coast guard is going to keep the vessel here which could be several months. to keep the investigators, satisfied. terisa estacio, kron 4 >> pam: we are also learning more tonight. about the bar pilot who was manuevering the ship at the time of the crash. this is a picture of guy kleess. he has been investigated for three prior incidents. on august 27, 2009 - klees was piloting the s-h grace. towards the port of sacramento and briefly ran aground in the sacramento river deep water ship channel. two days later, on august 29, 2009, kleess was piloting a ship on the san joaquin river to stockton. while docking the ship, it collided with a wooden pylon, damaging a cat walk. for these two instances, klees was ordered to take practice trips with an experienced pilot. and on may 26th of 20-10, kleess was supervising a trainee on a ship. the ship was tied to a tugboat en route to the richmond inner harbor. the tugboat made contact with the bottom of the channel. causing minor damage. pilot error was found, but no action was recommended the director of the board of pil

coast guard officials have called in patrol ships from around the country. they've cut training time for crew members and canceled a new year parade to focus on guarding the area. >>> every year at this time, scientists raced to the antarctic. they use the season of summer to study the continent. they're documenting changes they believe are linked to global warming. researchers have a strong presence at the south pole. it's essentially in their backyard. >> reporter: it's summer in antarctica. it's a busy time for animals from penguins to scientists. experts at australia's four observation bases are hard at work documents climate change. they are also seeing its effects first hand. planes use ice runways to bring in researchers and goods, but those runways haven't been as reliable in recent years. when temperatures rise above minus 5 degrees celsius, the surface begins to melt. that makes landing and taking off risky. 80% of flights planned in 2011 had to be canceled. >> the season when we can use it, part of the season when we can't use the runway will get l

a coast guard officials of the bar pilot and the capt. stand side-by- side with maneuvering ship through bay waters. an investigation is underway to determine whose hands were on the controls when the vessel hit the bay bridge. >> the sacramento county coroner's office could conduct an autopsy today on a 19 year-old woman found dead last week in south lake tahoe. authorities say alyssa byrne might of been disoriented when she let the snow globe music festival. her body was found behind a snow bank of pioneer trail on friday after her family and friends reported her missing. authorities do not suspect foul play. the autopsy will likely determine if alcohol or drugs were in burn system. >> still ahead they around the tahoe area has never been easier. if rates and transportation offer for the ski results. there is researched that pinpoints who is causing the biggest bay area headaches. an escalator goes haywire, take a look at what these people are doing. we'll be right back. q x >> if your web browser was a little slow you may beset by your

coast guard says it warned the bar pilot moments before his tanker grazed the bay bridge. the man who was guiding that ship is no stranger to maritime mishaps. >> we continue to look for pollutions and there is none. >> reporter: the u.s. coast guard continues to lead the investigation into what's been described as a scrape between an oil tangier and the bay bridge. there are many possibilities. >> we're looking at the vessel itself. we'll consider the weather. we'll look at the gps. >> reporter: and they're talking to the bar pilot who is a very experienced navigator who has had a few previous scrapes. >> they were all minor incidents. briefly brushed the bank. could happen to any river pilot. >> reporter: the first incident he was piloting a 560-foot bulk carrier and crushed against the bank. the state found no pilot error. two days later he was guiding a ship into the port of stockton. it appears an underwater portion of the bow made contact with an underwater portion of a wooden pylon. then on may 26, 2010, on a ship going into the richmond inner harbor. a try knee was

the coast guard tonight is telling us its initial review of internal communications show that the crewf an oil tanker was warned just before that huge ship scraped a fender protecting the base of a tower on the bay bridge. ktvu's heather holmes has our continuing coverage. she is live on treasure island tonight to tell us what the investigation has yielded so far, heather. >> reporter: frank the tanker of the overseas raymar has been ordered to remain anchored here indefinitely. tonight as you mentioned the coast guard is telling us that those on board this vessel were told that trouble was ahead. before the 750-foot oil tanker struck a tower of the bay bridge yesterday morning, those monitoring its travels warned of the danger. according to information released late tonight from the u.s. coast guard the vessel traffic service on yerba buena island tapped with helping ships navigate safely was in communication with the overseas raymara and alerted the ship to the hazard. but whether the pilot had time to react remains to be seen. >> the pilot is responsible for the navigation of their