Pilot of ship in oil spill to retire

Petaluman John Cota will retire rather than testify at a hearing about his role in the Cosco Busan oil spill last year, the bar pilot said in a letter last week.

Cota, who was guiding the 901-foot-long container ship through San Francisco Bay on the morning of Nov. 7, said in the June 23 letter to the state Board of Pilot Commissioners that he faces “an impossible situation” due to pending investigations of the spill.

“I have only one option and that is to retire effective Oct. 1, 2008,” Cota’s letter said. The U.S. Coast Guard also told him his sleep apnea disorder is “a disqualifying medical condition,” the letter said.

He is facing state and federal charges in the wake of the 58,000-gallon oil spill, including two misdemeanor environmental charges and two felony charges of lying to the Coast Guard about his medical condition.

Cota has pleaded not guilty to the charges. A trial is set to begin Oct. 20.

He began his career as a bar pilot more than 25 years ago, guiding large ships in and out of the waters of the bay. He was onboard the Cosco Busan, giving directions to the Chinese captain, when the ship struck a tower of the Bay Bridge in heavy fog.