Report: Tanker pilot had grounded 2 ships

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SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- The bar pilot guiding a tanker that hit a bridge in San Francisco Bay has been involved in three previous incidents, a TV station reported Tuesday.

Guy Kleess was involved in the grounding of a vessel in the Sacramento River in August 2009, KGO-TV reported. The same month, he was the pilot when a ship hit a catwalk in Stockton.

In 2010, he was responsible for the grounding of a tugboat in the Richmond Inner Harbor, the television station said.

Kleess was the pilot Monday when the Overseas Raymar struck the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

Allen Garfinkle, executive director of the Board of Pilot Commissioners, said Kleess agreed to more training and trips with an experienced pilot after the 2009 incidents.

Last year, a judge ruled the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association is entitled to information about the shifts worked by bar pilots. The pilots are scheduled to work one week followed by a week off but sometimes trade to get longer periods off.