EXXON VALDEZ DISASTER

BOAT DESCRIPTION: The Exxon Valdez was an oil tanker,

approximately 300 meters long and weighing 280,000 tons (loaded to its
maximum capacity! "t was in #$8$ the second newest ship in the Exxon
%hipping &ompany! 'nd it was maneu(ered )y only #$ crew plus captain!
DATE* +n ,arch 2-, #$8$
THE SITE* .rince /illiam 0ay is one o1 the most idyllic spots in the
2!%! and integrates the most part the &hugach 3ational 4orest .ark,
which attracts thousands o1 tourists e(ery summer to o)ser(e wildli1e in
its uni5ue )eauty!
ROUTE FAILED* The 6Exxon Valdez6 tried to a(oid the area o1 glacial ice! 4or
reasons that ha(e yet to )e conclusi(ely determined, departed too 1ar 1rom its path and
crashed into the ree1!
RESPONSIBLE* 'lthough the reasons 1or the accident were ne(er entirely clear, the
1ollowing are the most 1re5uently mentioned*

The third officer* was he who per1ormed the maneu(er 1ailed, pro)a)ly )ecause o1
1atigue due to o(erwork!

The captain did not 1ul1ill their 1unctions properly under the e11ects o1 alcohol!

The Exxon Shipping Company* not pro(ided the 6Exxon Valdez6 the necessary crew!

The Navigation Service Tanks* lack o1 e5uipment and proper training!

MISTAKES*
+ INSIDE THE BOT!
# The crew on the ship worked long shi1ts
2 "n post7accident in(estigations alcoholic &aptain 8azelwood )een widely discussed
3 The ship was on autopilot, and then attempts to change the course were unsuccess1ul!
+ E""ON
# The ship was manned )y only 20 people at the time o1 the accident, personal enough
1or this type o1 (essel
+ COST #$%D
# This lost sight o1 the )oat on their radar and not reported, thought it was e5uipment 1ailure!
FACTS* +n ,arch 2-, #$8$, in a storm, the 'merican tanker Exxon Valdez,
which is #80,000 tons o1 crude oil loading terminal in Valdez, separated 1rom the
na(igation corridor to a(oid )locks o1 dri1ting ice! The commander orders the man in
charge o1 the tiller autopilot pass! 9ess than 30 minutes later, the ship runs aground
at #2 knots on 0light :ee1, located a)out ten 1eet deep, in the district o1 .rince7
/illiams, important 1ishing area!
EFFECTS* "t is impossi)le to accurately measure the e11ects o1 the disaster,
6Exxon Valdez6 in the en(ironment! "t is e(en a heated and di11icult de)ate closed!
'n estimated 2;0,000 sea)irds and a)out 2,800 sea otters (Enhydra lutris were
the most nota)le (ictims o1 the disaster!
+ther animals were a11ected seal populations, pink salmon, orcas and )ald
eagles, excluding losses on in(erte)rates and small animals!
'nother (ictim o1 the tragedy was the way o1 li1e o1 the peoples o1 the region! "n a
sur(ey pu)lished #0 years a1ter the accident, )etween ;0< and 80< o1 the people had
changed their ha)its to sur(i(e!
POLLUTION* =uring #$8$, some ##,000 people, #,000 (essels and #00 aircra1t
worked 1or o(er 1our summers to minimize the impact o1 the spill the 6Exxon Valdez6,
using di11erent methods to clean as 5uickly and as e11ecti(ely as possi)le the damage!
Tens o1 thousands o1 (olunteers and unprecedented media are mo)ilized (#,-00 ships,
8; helicopters and #,#00 people to sa(e )irds and marine mammals, and coastal
)each clean )each! "n #$$0, #,#00 people are still cleaning! This la)or is expensi(e!
Exxon pays > #,000 per (olunteer per week!
ORGANIZATIONS THAT HELPED WITH CLEANING

%pecialists or E.' (En(ironmental .rotection 'gency o1 the 2nited %tates in the use o1
experimental )ioremediation technologies attended spill cleanup!

or 3+'' (3ational +ceanic and 'tmospheric 'dministration was in(ol(ed in pro(iding

weather 1orecasts 1or .rince /illiam %ound, and let the cleaning crew adapt their
methods to atmospheric conditions!

or specialists 8u))s ,arine "nstitute in %an =iego and the "nternational 0ird :esearch &enter
o1 0erkeley (&ali1ornia, esta)lished a center to clean and reha)ilitate water1owl!
EXXON EXPENDITURES* ' ?une #, #$8$, ie three months a1ter the grounding o1
the tanker, the costs rise to > #3; million! 'mounted to > 300 million in early ?uly, and
early #$$@ amounted to 2,;00 million!
These expenses are not in (ain )ecause in 3 years, ;00 o1 the 800 km o1 coastline
are cleaned! 8owe(er, residual contamination continues regularly a11ecting di11erent
species and the conse5uences o1 the accident at #$8$ on wildli1e are certainly much
higher than the initial )alance announcing 2;0,000 sea )irds, 2,800 otters and seals 300
direct (ictims o1 oil the Exxon Valdez!
REQUESTS* Exxon has already paid more than three )illion dollars in damages! "n
#$$# Exxon,o)il pleaded guilty to (iolating (arious en(ironmental laws and paid o(er a
)illion dollars in Audgments! %ince then, Exxon,o)il, the largest oil company in the
world, has used its economic resources and power to a(oid any 1uture lia)ility in this
case!
END