For thousands of San Francisco Bay area boaters, the November 7 Cosco Busan oil spill could be a real mess. As daily tides and currents move tens of thousands of gallons of thick bunker fuel closer to many marinas, local boaters as well as marinas and yacht clubs are facing potentially expensive clean up costs.

Fortunately, plans are already in place to help them. The US Coast Guard, state and local officials, along with representatives of the ship’s owners have established a Unified Command Post which will help mitigate damage and provide cleanup.

In the meantime, BoatUS recommends the following tips for recreational boaters:

• If the spill is sighted coming toward your marina or already there, call 985-781-0804 to make a report. The phone number goes to a company — contracted by the Cosco Busan owners — tasked with mitigating the damaging effects of the oil. They can bring out booms to keep the oil out of an area and may use other equipment to begin the clean up.

• If your marina or boat club already has booms in place, do not attempt to cross the booms with your boat. This will only spread the oil and damage the booms or possibly your vessel’s running gear.

• If there is oil in your marina, refrain from running engines or other devices that have seawater intakes such as air conditioners or refrigerators.

• Call your insurance company as soon as your boat is in contact with the oil. Uninsured boaters can call 866-442-9650 to file a claim.

• Damage to a BoatUS insured’s vessel that is caused by the oil spill is covered. They are directed to call 800-937-1937.

• Hauling out your boat will prevent damage, but as of press time it was undetermined if these costs were to be reimbursed by the ship’s insurance.

BoatUS – Boat Owners Association of The United States – is the nation’s leading advocate for recreational boaters with 650,000 members.