SAN FRANCISCO , California ( CNN ) -- `` Human error factors '' probably were involved in a ship crash and oil spill that killed nearly 400 birds in San Francisco Bay and prompted a federal criminal probe , the U.S. Coast Guard said Monday . A worker checks oil cleanup gear near the Golden Gate Bridge Thursday in San Francisco , California . The U.S. attorney in San Francisco has opened a federal criminal investigation into Wednesday 's crash of the MV Cosco Busan to determine whether the captain and crew violated federal maritime laws . Although not officially detained , the captain and crew were barred by law from leaving the vessel , which is docked for repairs in Oakland , the Coast Guard said . `` You had a competently manned ship with a pilot , all the navigation and sensors , '' said Adm. Thad Allen , Coast Guard commandant . There were `` probably some human error factors , but we need to determine the facts , because there 's no reason a ship like that should have collided with the bridge . '' Watch Allen on the criminal probe » . The Cosco Busan was departing Oakland for South Korea when it struck a tower supporting the western suspension span of the Bay Bridge , cutting a 212-foot , 12-foot wide gash in the ship 's side . About 58,000 gallons of heavy-duty bunker oil poured out of the vessel as it was moored near Treasure Island . See where oil spilled » . The oil sickened birds and formed globules on more than 20 of the area 's beaches . It oozed along the San Francisco city waterfront and out of the bay , beneath the Golden Gate Bridge toward Marin County . Allen defended the Coast Guard against criticism of its response to the spill . Some lawmakers , including one of the state 's U.S. senators , Democrat Barbara Boxer , have criticized the Coast Guard 's handling of the collision and resulting spill . Boxer said the Coast Guard initially reported that the ship 's owner had said only 140 gallons had spilled from the Cosco Busan . Boxer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California have called for congressional hearings into the accident and resulting spill . Although Allen conceded some confusion in the Coast Guard 's communication , he said it did not reflect their response . `` Response was set into play within an hour of the event itself , '' Allen said Monday . Regarding the initial low estimate of 140 gallons of lost oil , Allen said heavy fog and damage to the ship 's tanks hindered initial aerial and on-ground evaluations of how much oil had leaked from the ship . In addition to federal prosecutors , the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident , and NTSB spokeswoman Debbie Hersman said Sunday that agency was interviewing the pilot , the ship 's crew , and other pilots who were on the water at the time of Wednesday 's crash . See photos of oil coating the bay » . The crew had been on its inaugural voyage on the ship , which the current owner purchased last month , Hersman said . The NTSB also intends to review the ship 's voyage data recorder , which should have recorded captain and crew conversations on the bridge and other information in the 12 hours leading up to the bridge collision , Hersman said . The oil spill has sparked concern among local officials and environmentalists . As of Sunday , 23 beaches in the area remained closed . Angel Island State Park , the Bay 's largest island , reopened Monday , the Coast Guard said . Gov . Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency , freeing money to clean up the spill . Seven miles of containment boom stretched across the bay has collected more than 12,271 gallons of oil so far , and another 4,000 gallons have evaporated , officials said . Nearly 400 dead birds have been recovered from the bay , while another 500 birds have been rescued alive but soaked in oil , according to Lisa Curtis , administrator of the Department of Fish and Games Office of Spill Prevention and Response . In 1989 , the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground and fouled Alaska 's Prince William Sound with almost 11 million gallons of crude -- the nation 's worst ever oil spill . Thousands of birds and animals died in the disaster , according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . Often birds and animals are threatened when they come in contact with the oil and swallow it as they try to clean themselves , said the NOAA Web site . In addition to birds , oil spills can be very harmful to fish and shellfish , NOAA said . Twenty wildlife teams were scheduled Monday to be the bay , working to find sick birds so they can be rehabilitated , Curtis said . On Sunday , the state 's other U.S. senator and a leading Coast Guard official decried the accident . `` This an incident which , in my view , should not have happened , '' Sen. Dianne Feinstein , D-California , said Sunday after being briefed by Coast Guard officials . Rear Adm. Craig E. Bone , the Coast Guard 's director of inspection and compliance , echoed Feinstein 's comments . `` This incident should have never ever occurred , '' he said . `` There 's systems , there 's capabilities , there 's licensed operators , there 's a pilot on board the vessel , there 's the capacity and the capability to safely navigate through this port and waterways every day . '' He added , `` But we have to move beyond the incident and the fact that it occurred and move forward into the response . '' The California Department of Transportation said the collision did no structural damage to the bridge and there was no interruption of bridge traffic -- more than 250,000 vehicles daily . E-mail to a friend .
NEW : This means the product will ship as received by the manufacturer, sealed, with all advertised components, and with the manufacturer warranty. It was crew 's first voyage on Cosco Busan , which hit Bay Bridge in dense fog . Crew not allowed to leave ship due to federal law , says Coast Guard . Feds launch criminal probe ; 58,000 gallons leaked and killed nearly 400 birds .