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DARK STAIN: The oil slick in San Francisco Bay near the Golden Gate Bridge on Thursday. Strong tides have washed the oil through the mouth of the bay and onto beaches north of the city. -- PHOTO: AP
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SAN FRANCISCO - A SOUTH Korean container ship navigating the waters near San Francisco in dense fog spilled 219,550 litres of bunker oil into the sea after hitting the stanchion of a bridge.
The Cosco Busan, owned by Hanjin Shipping of South Korea, struck a tower of the Bay Bridge on Wednesday, causing a long slash along the ship that allowed bunker fuel to spill into the water.
Strong tides have since swept the slick through the mouth of San Francisco Bay, fouling beaches up to 32km north of the city and girdling Alcatraz Island with a belt of goo. Several beaches have been closed and the clean-up is expected to take weeks.
NEW YORK TIMES
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