A container ship bound for South Korea struck a tower base of the west span of the Bay Bridge today, tearing a gash in the hull and spilling fuel in the bay but sparing the bridge any damage, officials said.
Coast Guard Lt. Anya Hunter said the ship hit the protective shield that covers the concrete base of the second tower west of Yerba Buena Island about 8:30 a.m. and then bounced off. The ship, an 810-foot vessel named the Cosco Busan, hit the base hard enough for the concrete under the shield to inflict a gash 10 feet above the water line and about 160 feet long.