Fleet Management, the Hong Kong-based ship management firm, has submitted a guilty plea in a case brought against the company after one of its vessels discharged 50,000 litres of fuel oil into San Francisco Bay.

The Cosco Busan was breached when it struck the San Francisco Bridge in November 2007 and in the case heard by the US district court for the northern district of California, the company submitted a guilty plea and agreed to a comprehensive compliance plan that will include extensive training.

A statement from the Department of Justice confirmed that this training will be subject to auditing by US authorities and will include classroom and shipboard navigation briefings.

"Today's guilty plea by Fleet, combined with the recent sentencing of the ship's pilot, sends a signal to the maritime industry that the government recognizes that navigation of large vessels is a serious undertaking," said John C Cruden, acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's environment and natural resources division.

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