Petaluma ship pilot blamed in oil spill

<p>State regulators blame the Petaluma pilot of a container ship for causing an oil spill in San Francisco Bay when the vessel rammed a bridge tower.</p><p>The state pilot commission approved a report Thursday that says Capt. John Cota committed several errors, including leaving port in thick fog on the morning of Nov. 7 and sailing the ship too fast.</p><p>The Cosco Busan crashed into a support tower of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and leaked more than 50,000 gallons of oil.</p><p>Despite the findings, the commission has no authority over Cota because he already has surrendered his pilot license and retired. Cota has pleaded not guilty in federal court to environmental crimes and lying about his prescription drug use on Coast Guard medical forms.</p><p>-- Associated Press</p>