The local papers say that the CG called the pilot and were concerned about the ship's course, and the pilot radioed back that it was fine. So the speculation ranges from human error to equipment error. The Pilot Commission, CG, and various other agencies will be investigating this thing for months. In the end, all we can really hope for is that we can learn what what wrong and how to avoid future accidents--I'm sure someone will get the blame but the damage is already done. The cleanup effort has been a debacle--I read in the Chron that a homeowner at Muir Beach was cited for trying to clean up tar balls, and that a bunch of locals have been trying to keep a boom strung across the opening to Bolinas Lagoon without any professional help. What a disgrace!
I went down to my boat yesterday to check things out. There was a sheen on the water, but no black oil. This morning, I read about 2/3 of the bunker fuel has already sunk, emulsified, or is clinging to shorelines--and the skimmers won't be able to recover that--so the toxic hangover will likely last for years.