Cosco Busan pilot says he 'misunderstood the chart'

<p>Petaluma bar pilot John Cota, who was guiding the cargo ship Cosco Busan when it struck a tower of the Bay Bridge last November, expressed regret about settling sail in foggy conditions and said he misunderstood a navigational chart, according to transcripts of the incident released at hearings this week.</p><p>The National Transportation Safety Board is looking into the Nov. 7 collision, in which 53,000 gallons of oil spilled into the bay, killing at least 2,000 birds.</p><p>Cota has been charged with breaking environmental laws because of the bird deaths and did not testify at the NTSB hearing in Washington, D.C. because of the pending charges.</p><p>But a transcript of communications aboard the ship revealed confusion between Cota and the Chinese captain of the freighter over symbols on the navigational chart.</p><p>“So sorry, captain,” Cota is heard saying. “I misunderstood the chart.”</p><p>He also told a fellow pilot who came aboard to relieve him, “It’s foggy. I shouldn’t have gone” and “I don’t think I’m going to beat this one.”</p><p>According to transcripts of a previous NTSB hearing revealed this week, Cota told investigators he wasn’t admitting guilt by apologizing to the captain: “The guy’s ship had a big hole in it. I, you know, I kind of felt it was the decent thing to do.”</p><p>The NTSB hearings continue this week.</p>