State Officials issued formal misconduct charges against the pilot of the Cosco Busan cargo ship, which was involved in the November 7 San Francisco Bay oil spill.

According to local authorities, the spill sent over 58,000 gallons of fuel into the water and fouled 40 miles of shoreline from Oakland. It was the biggest incident from San Francisco in the last twenty years, killing more than 2,200 birds and closing more than a dozen area beaches.

The Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays of San Francisco accused Capt. John Cota of being negligent the morning he advised the captains of the cargo to proceed under the Bay Bridge despite the foggy weather. He should have had “reason to doubt whether the ship could safely proceed under the prevailing circumstances,” said the accusation paper.

Cota was accused of ordering full speed when he could not tell for sure where he was heading. The cargo ship was sailing “at a speed that was excessive for the circumstances,” said the board in their accusation.

The allegations also said that Cota should not have sailed from Oakland in the first place because of limited visibility due to the fog, as he was unfamiliar with the ship’s electronic chart system and because he had concerns about the operational status of the radars.

He was also accused of not taking advantage of a tugboat that was escorting him, failing to seek assistance from a Coast Guard service tracking the ship’s movements and failing to make full use of the ship’s lookout.

Cota was given 15 days to file a written response to the accusations and request a hearing. If he wants a hearing, an administration law judge will hear his case. Cota risks having his pilot’s license revoked or suspended, if he is found guilty of misconduct. For now, his license is suspended.

"This Board takes seriously the events of November 7, the resulting oil spill, and Capt. Cota's involvement as the pilot. We will proceed judiciously to determine whether Capt. Cota was negligent and whether he should be allowed to continue piloting on San Francisco Bay," Board President Knute Michael Miller said, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

John Meadows, Cota’s attorney said Thursday that his client had been unfairly targeted.

"This is another battleground. We have just received the accusation and we will be defending his license. It's a very tough time for him and a considerable financial burden," Meadows said, according to the SJMN.