It was on this date in 1989 that the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground off of the southern coast of Alaska, spilling 11 million gallons of crude oil into the icy waters of Prince William Sound, creating one of the worst oil spills in the history of the United States. Shortly after midnight, the ships captain, Joseph Hazelwood, left the bridge under the command of his third mate, and the oil tanker struck Bligh Reef, severely damaging eight of the 11 tanks on board. More than 250,000 barrels of oil spilled into the remote, expansive Alaskan coastline. It took the efforts of dedicated volunteers and workers from all over the world to try to contain the damage. Specialists from the Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency, and smaller groups from Hubbs Marine Institute in San Diego and the International Bird Research Center of Berkeley all set out to rescue, clean, and rehabilitate wildlife and restore the coastline. All told, more than $2 billion has been spent on cleanup and recovery, with Exxon paying approximately $1 billion in damages.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 10:56:38 +0000
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