A 902-foot container vessel that hit a support tower on the center span of the Bay Bridge between Treasure Island and San Francisco Wednesday morning did not cause any apparent damage to the bridge, U.S. Coast Guard Officer Anya Hunter said.

The cargo ship from the Hanjin Shipping company hit part of the tower at about 8:30 a.m. and leaked fuel into the water for about 30 minutes before ship operators transferred the oil to another part of the vessel, Hunter said.

VIDEO: 900-Foot Cargo Ship Scrapes Bay Bridge | SLIDESHOW: Images Of Cargo Ship

The size of the fuel oil spill was revised from an initial report of 140 gallons to about 58,000 gallons, NBC11 reported.

The spill caused the closure of at least five San Francisco beaches including Fort Point, Kirby Cove, Baker Beach, China Beach and Crissy Field.

Cleanup could take days.

NBC11's Cheryl Hurd spoke to one surfer who said he found himself surfing in oil Tuesday. He said the bottom of his feet left tar marks on the beach as he walked out of the water.

Wildlife experts said their biggest concern is for the birds because they are attracted to oil.

Pollution experts from the California Department of Fish and Game are working with the U.S. Coast Guard's San Francisco Sector and the San Francisco Police Department to place containing devices in the water around the spill, Coast Guard Petty Officer Third Class Michael Anderson said.

After containing the fuel, crews will be placing absorbing materials over the area, Anderson said.

San Francisco police and the Coast Guard also enforced a 100-foot safety zone around the leaked fuel and the ship, docked north of Treasure Island, according to the Coast Guard.

Officials have posted no fishing signs on Treasure Island in several languages, Hurd reported.

The ship didn't actually hit the bridge, said Caltrans spokesman Bart Ney, but scraped a fender designed to protect the tower. Ney said 100-feet of the fender was damaged.

Coast Guard vessels escorted the cargo ship north of Treasure Island at about 10:30 a.m.

The ship was an outbound vessel, Hunter said. It hit the fourth of five towers on the San Francisco side of the bridge. That is the second tower from Treasure Island.

The ship's name is Cosco Busan and the words Hong Kong are listed under it's name, NBC11 reported. It was headed to South Korea, according to NBC11.

A long scrape -- from the front of the cargo ship to the A in the ship's title, "Hanjin" -- could be seen as a Coast Guard vessel escorted it to Treasure Island for inspection. The gash is also several feet deep.

The pilot of ship is experienced with more than 25 years experience in the San Francisco Bay.

Traffic on the Bay Bridge was not affected by the incident.

There was heavy fog in the area at the time but investigators have not said whether that led to the collision. NBC11 Weather Plus meteorologist Shannon O'Donnell said visibility was a half mile because of the dense fog.