Exxon Valdez

THE CRASH of the Exxon Valdez in the waters off the coast of Alaska represents the worst oil spill in U.S. history, to date in the spring of 2004. On March 24, 1989, the Valdez tanker collided with Bligh Reef in the Valdez Narrows and spilled over 11 million gallons of crude oil into the waters of Prince William Sound.

Scheduled for a five-day trip from Valdez, Alaska, to Long Beach, California, the tanker was loaded with 1,264,164 barrels of North Slope crude. Just hours before the departure of the Exxon Valdez, its captain Joseph Hazelwood had been drinking a round or two of vodka. This factor was attributed as the primary cause of the accident. During the voyage, Hazelwood's speech was slurred while in radio contact with Coast Guard officials and, at one point, he mistakenly identified his vessel as the Exxon Baton Rouge. In addition, he made several questionable judgments regarding the course of the tanker.

Due to concerns over icebergs in the sound, Hazelwood had to make a decision regarding the direction of the Valdez. Instead of slowing down and waiting for the ice to move or have the ship work slowly through the ice, Hazelwood choose to turn the tanker and enter a gap between the ice and the Bligh Reef. The gap in this area was only one-tenth of a mile wide, almost the width of the tanker itself. This meant there was little room for error. Hazelwood also ordered that the tanker's speed be increased and the ship be placed on automatic pilot. Both commands were highly unusual. Normally, ships reduce their speed when they encounter ice in order to minimize impact and allow for adjustments. Furthermore, the use of the automatic pilot was rare under such conditions because of the need to make changes in the ship's course. Another questionable decision by Hazelwood was leaving only one officer in charge of maneuvering the Exxon Valdez through the gap.

This lone officer was not given clear instructions regarding a course to follow nor an exact chart of the tanker's position. Shortly after Hazelwood left the officer alone, the Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef and began leaking tremendous amounts of oil. For 15 minutes, Hazelwood attempted to force the tanker ahead but eventually the smell of oil in the air and control room gauges, that confirmed significant losses of oil, forced the crew to stop and wait for Coast Guard assistance. While the cause of the crash and spill was attributable to the officer being unable to properly maneuver the tanker, other factors played a major role. First, several of Hazelwood's decisions and judgments were highly questionable due in part to his impaired or intoxicated state. Second, the Exxon company reduced the Valdez crew, meaning that many of the members were excessively overworked and fatigued. Finally, Exxon did not have a proper recovery plan in place that could effectively deal with such a disaster.

The effects of the oil spill were tremendous on the surrounding communities. The loss of marine life, wildlife, and natural resources was abundant. The disaster happened at a time when fish and other marine organisms were beginning their reproductive cycles, and the large amounts of oil devastated the development and threatened the existence of many aquatic species and mammals. Over 200,000 seabirds were lost as well as thousands of sea otters and hundreds of other wildlife, including deer and eagles.

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