Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground on Bligh Reef Spilled 11 million gallons of oil into the Prince William Sound, Alaska

1. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
and Kodiak Island

2. Background
March 24th
, 1989
Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground on
Bligh Reef
Spilled 11 million gallons of oil into the
Prince William Sound, Alaska

3. Probable Causes of the
Grounding
Improper maneuvering of the vessel
Improper navigation (alcohol
impairment?)
Fatigue
Ineffective vessel traffic system, U.S.
Coast Guard
Ineffective pilot and escort services

4. Behavior of the Oil

5. Control and Cleanup
Controlled burns
Mechanical
Booms
Skimmers
Permanent storage containers
Chemical
dispersants
Sensitive environments were identified, defined
according to degree of cleanup, and then ranked for
their priority for cleanup

6. Shoreline Treatment
Hoses spraying seawater flushed oil from shorelines
Heated seawater
Manual cleanup
Raking
Tilling
Oily debris pickup
Bioremediation
Spot washing

7. Remaining Oil
Cleanup efforts were greatly reduced by the Spring of
1991
2001 NOAA study surveyed 96 sites along 8,000 miles of
coastline
Surface oil not good indicator of subsurface oil
Oil saturated subsurface regions
Areas with the most subsurface oil were found low in the
intertidal zones

8. Economic Impacts
Recreational sport fishing losses
Tourism losses
Existence value
Replacement costs
of birds and animals

9. Ecological Impacts
250,000 Birds
250 Bald Eagles
2,800 Sea Otters
300 Harbor Seals
Thousands of fish, herring eggs, and
crabs
At least 22 Killer Whales
Intertidal plants and animals

10. Litigation
In 1994, class action jury trial held a
federal court in Anchorage, Alaska
Plaintiffs: 32,000 fishermen, natives,
and landowners affected by the oil
Exxon was to pay $5 billion in punitive
damages
Exxon has repeatedly appealed the
damages award

11. Lessons Learned from the Oil
Spill
Chemical and physical cleanup efforts can result in
strong biological reactions with the environment
Oil that has seeped into soil can resurface over time
Type of environment influences oil degradation rates
Oil penetrates deep and weathers slowly on rocky,
rubble shores
Extensive damage to animals from long-term
interactions with their environment
Exposure to weathered oil effects fish growth and
behavior

12. Improvements in Oil Spill
Prevention and Response
PlanningMonitoring full tankers via satellite
Two escort vessels accompanying tankers while they
pass through the entire sound
Specially trained marine pilots
Double-hulled tankers
Yearly drills held for spill scenarios
New and improved skimming technologies
More storage space for spilled oil
More containment booms available
Oil Pollution Act of 1990

13. The Exxon Valdez