The people of Alaska's Southcentral coast - not to mention Exxon and the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company - would come to pay a heavy price. The Exxon Valdez oil spill is one of the biggest environmental disasters in recent history. [2] Both the cab driver and the gate security guard later testified that no one in the party appeared to be intoxicated. [53] In 2002, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Exxon. Average number of annual spills, by decade, Over the last five decades, there has been a dramatic reduction in tanker spills greater than, SOURCE: ‘OIL TANKER STATISTICS 2018’ ITOPF. © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, © 2015- On March 24, 1989, the tanker Exxon Valdez grounded on Bligh Reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound, rupturing its hull and spilling nearly 11 million gallons of Prudhoe Bay crude oil into a remote, scenic, and biologically productive body of water.. Other plaintiffs have objected to this secret arrangement,[46] and when it came to light, Judge Holland ruled that Exxon should have told the jury at the start that an agreement had already been made, so the jury would know exactly how much Exxon would have to pay. Cousins gave right rudder commands to cause the desired course change and took the ship off autopilot. In addition, public acceptance of a new, widespread chemical treatment was lacking. Since the 1980s, spills of 700 metric tons. The American people, increasingly anxious over environmental degradation and devoted to their image of Alaska's wilderness, reacted with anger. [7][8] In 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil spill was listed as the 54th largest spill in history. Appendix F of this report documents a direct link between fatigue and human performance error generally and notes that 80 percent or more of marine accidents are attributable to human error. [19] On 30 July 2012, the Supreme Court of India granted permission for the owners of Oriental Nicety to beach her at Gujarat coast to be dismantled. He also reported that "judging, ah, by our radar, we'll probably divert from the TSS [traffic separation scheme] and end up in the inbound lane if there is no conflicting traffic." Automation typically reduces manual workload but increases mental workload." When the three ship's officers left the terminal that day, they expected the Exxon Valdez's sailing time to be 10 p.m. that evening. [29][30], The remaining oil lasting far longer than anticipated has resulted in more long-term losses of species than had been expected. apa citation website no author no date purdue owl; academic editing for hire usa; a level creative writing reflective commentary We are particularly proud of the spill-prevention performance of our global marine transportation affiliates. Yet less than three hours later, the Exxon Valdez grounded at Bligh Reef, rupturing eight of its 11 cargo tanks and spewing some 10.8 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound. After feeling the grounding Hazelwood rushed to the bridge, arriving as the ship came to rest. The company claimed that the Coast Guard was "wholly or partially responsible" for the spill, because they had granted mariners' licenses to the crew of the Valdez, and because they had given the Valdez permission to leave regular shipping lanes to avoid ice. In fact, the tanker's radar was left broken and disabled for more than a year before the disaster, and Exxon management knew it. [15] Since then, European Union regulations have also prevented vessels with single-hull designs such as the Valdez from entering European ports. âOil platform drilling in deeper water is the new paradigm of risk for oil spills in the marine environment,â said Michel. In 2008 the vessel was acquired by a Hong Kong company that operated it as Dong Fang Ocean, then in 2011 renamed it Oriental Nicety. After conferring with Cousins about where and how to return the ship to its designated traffic lane, Hazelwood left the bridge. According to Murphy, Hazelwood left the bridge at 9:35 p.m. and did not return until about 11:10 p.m., even though Exxon company policy requires two ship's officers on the bridge during transit of Valdez Narrows. At 11:30 p.m. Hazelwood informed the Valdez traffic center that he was turning the ship toward the east on a heading of 200 degrees and reducing speed to "wind my way through the ice" (engine logs, however, show the vessel's speed continued to increase). The U.S. Coast Guard would demonstrate its prowess at ship salvage, protecting crews and lightering operations, but prove utterly incapable of oil spill containment and response. No human lives were lost as a direct result of the disaster, though four deaths were associated with the cleanup effort. However, we took immediate responsibility for the spill and have spent over $4.3 billion as a result of the accident, including compensatory payments, cleanup payments, settlements and fines. Fifty percent of all large spills occurred while the vessels were underway in open water. Fishermen went bankrupt. Exxon responded in a statement to CNN: After 20 years, there is no evidence suggesting that either cleanup workers or the residents of the communities affected by the Valdez spill have had any adverse health effects as a result of the spill or its cleanup. No one anticipated any unusual problems as the Exxon Valdez left the Alyeska Pipeline Terminal at 9:12 p.m., Alaska Standard Time, on March 23,1989. [38] In a decision issued June 25, 2008, written by Justice David Souter, the court vacated the $2.5 billion award and remanded the case back to the lower court, finding that the damages were excessive with respect to maritime common law. "While Exxon has defended their actions as an economic decision," the manning report says, "criticism has been leveled against them for manipulating overtime records to better justify reduced manning levels. "[42], Exxon's official position was that punitive damages greater than $25 million were not justified because the spill resulted from an accident, and because Exxon spent an estimated $2 billion cleaning up the spill and a further $1 billion to settle related civil and criminal charges. Exxon and the U.S. Coast Guard began a massive cleanup effort that eventually involved more than 11,000 Alaskan residents and thousands of Exxon and contractor personnel. In the first days of the spill there was no oil recovery or clean-up equipment in the water, said Steiner, who is now a marine conservation consultant at the âOasis Earthâ project. [8][27], Although the volume of oil has declined considerably with oil remaining only about 0.14–0.28% of the original spilled volume, studies suggest the area of oiled beach has changed little since 1992. Tankers carrying North Slope crude oil had safely transited Prince William Sound more than 8,700 times in the 12 years since oil began flowing through the trans-Alaska pipeline, with no major disasters and few serious incidents. [3] The Valdez spill is the second largest in US waters, after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in terms of volume released. Justice Samuel Alito, who at the time owned between $100,000 and $250,000 in Exxon stock, recused himself from the case. A spill that ranked 34th on a list of the world's largest oil spills in the past 25 years came to be seen as the nation's biggest environmental disaster since Three Mile Island. Nov. 8, 2018, Risk management [13][14] As the senior officer in command of the ship, he was accused of being intoxicated and thereby contributing to the disaster, but he was cleared of this charge at his 1990 trial after witnesses testified that he was sober around the time of the accident. [14] In 2005, it began operating under the Marshall Islands flag of convenience. Hazelwood ordered a further course change to a heading of 180 degrees (due south) and, according to the helmsman, directed that the ship be placed on autopilot. Energy Factor The Coast Guard has certified Exxon tankers for a minimum of 15 persons (14 if the radio officer is not required). For more than 135 years, we have pioneered the science and research that enables innovative technologies, changing our industry and the world. At 12:19 a.m. Hazelwood ordered that the vessel's engine be reduced to idle speed. On the 1990 comedy show In Living Color season 1, episode 4, Jim Carrey plays Hazelwood in the sketch, The Exxon Family. [48], In October 1989, Exxon filed suit against the State of Alaska, charging that the state had interfered with Exxon's attempts to clean up the spill by refusing to approve the use of dispersant chemicals until the night of the 26th. After repairs, Exxon Valdez was renamed Exxon Mediterranean, then SeaRiver Mediterranean in the early 1990s, when Exxon transferred its shipping business to a new subsidiary company, River Maritime Inc. An Iranian oil tanker, the Sanchi, lost 117,000 tons of highly toxic natural gas condensate. ExxonMobil's primary responsibility is to produce the energy and products the world needs in a responsible manner. Energy Factor Minimum vessel manning limits are set by the U.S. Coast Guard, but without any agencywide standard for policy. Both vessels were severely damaged in the incident, and Aali was towed to Weihai and Dong Fang Ocean was towed to Longyan Port in Shandong. The most important loss for many who will never visit Prince William Sound was the aesthetic sense that something sacred in the relatively unspoiled land and waters of Alaska had been defiled. The Exxon Valdez slipped its last mooring line at 9:12 p.m. and, with the assistance of two tugboats, began maneuvering away from the berth. [70], In the second Forrest Gump novel, Gump and Co. by Winston Groom, Gump commandeers the Exxon Valdez and accidentally crashes it. Approximately 1,600 short tons (1,500 t) of steel were removed and replaced. At the time, both scientific advice and public pressure was to clean everything, but since then, a much greater understanding of natural and facilitated remediation processes has developed, due somewhat in part to the opportunity presented for study by the Exxon Valdez spill. Whatever the NTSB or the courts may finally determine concerning Cousins' work hours that day, manning limits and crew fatigue have received considerable attention as contributing factors to the accident. Laboratory experiments found that at levels as low as one part per billion, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are toxic for salmon and herring eggs. [30], ExxonMobil denied concerns over remaining oil, stating that they anticipated the remaining fraction would not cause long-term ecological impacts. The incident happened after an Exxon Corporation tanker, the Exxon Valdez , ran aground on Bligh Reef during a voyage from Valdez , Alaska, to California. [54], OPA also set a schedule for the gradual phase in of a double hull design, providing an additional layer between the oil tanks and the ocean. [13] In 2002, the ship was again removed from service. The major part of the money would be spent to finish cleaning up oiled beaches and attempting to restore the crippled herring population. Environmentalists estimate that somewhere between 11 million and 38 million gallons of crude oil spilled into the waters of Prince William Sound. Exxon blamed Captain Hazelwood for the grounding of the tanker, but Hazelwood accused the corporation of making him a scapegoat. It collided with another oil tanker off the coast of Tobago. The state disputed the claim, stating that there was a long-standing agreement to allow the use of dispersants to clean up spills, thus Exxon did not require permission to use them, and that in fact Exxon had not had enough dispersant on hand to effectively handle a spill of the size created by the Valdez. Review corporate performance data, learn about our business model, read about our outlook for the energy industry, meet our management committee and more. âOil was all over the deck, and it was everywhere in the water,â said Steiner, who was the University of Alaska's marine advisor in the Prince William Sound region at the time. [69], In the 1995 film Waterworld, the Exxon Valdez is the flagship of the movie's villain, "The Deacon", the leader of a band of scavenging raiders. At 35,000 feet, it was the deepest well ever drilled until the blow out that killed 11 workers. Exxon Shipping Company failed to properly maintain the. • A report by the U.S. National Response Center summarized the event and made a number of recommendations, such as changes to the work patterns of Exxon crew in order to address the causes of the accident. Oiled mussel beds and other tidal shoreline habitats may take up to 30 years to recover. [18] Before being beached, some tried to halt the action, arguing that the vessel was in breach of the Basel Convention. Among the measures taken to improve oil-spill prevention: In the event a spill occurs, we also have improved our response capability. But the radar was not turned on. SOURCE: INTERNATIONAL, OIL TANKER OWNERS POLLUTION FEDERATION (ITOPF), This map shows the 613 reported oil spills of seven, metric tons or more from tankers and barges between, 1989 and 2018. Indirectly, however, the human and natural losses were immense - to fisheries, subsistence livelihoods, tourism, wildlife. In response to the spill, the United States Congress passed the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA). (There is roughly 305 gallons in a metric ton of oil.). Exxon Shipping Company has said the third mate slept between I a.m. and 7:20 a.m. the morning of March 23 and again between 1: 30 p.m. and 5 p.m., for a total of nearly 10 hours sleep in the 24 hours preceding the accident. [21], This article is about the oil tanker. or more dropped from an average of nine a year to two. At 12:26 a.m., Hazelwood radioed the Valdez traffic center and reported his predicament to Bruce Blandford, a civilian employee of the Coast Guard who was on duty. The company voluntarily compensated more than 11,000 Alaskans and businesses within a year of the spill. They have studied in-depth all pertinent aspects related to the effect of the Valdez oil spill on the Sound's water, shoreline and wildlife. The Exxon Valdez had reached the Alyeska Marine Terminal at 11:30 p.m. on March 22 to take on cargo. Some of the oil does not appear to have biodegraded at all. A ship's agent who met with Hazelwood after he got back on the ship said it appeared the captain may have been drinking because his eyes were watery, but she did not smell alcohol on his breath. She changed hands again among scrap merchants (a common occurrence) and was eventually routed to Alang, India, under the ownership of Priya Blue Industries and at some point renamed Oriental Nicety. The traffic center indicated concurrence, stating there was no reported traffic in the inbound lane. Until the Exxon Valdez piled onto Bligh Reef, the system designed to carry 2 million barrels of North Slope oil to West Coast and Gulf Coast markets daily had worked perhaps too well. Last year, the Trump administration proposed opening up far more offshore areas to drilling. In the aftermath of the accident, we also undertook significant operational reforms and implemented an exceptionally thorough operational management system to prevent future incidents. Lack of available equipment and personnel hampered the spill cleanup. That complacency and success were shattered when the Exxon Valdez ran hard aground shortly after midnight on March 24. [71], Composer Jonathan Larson wrote a song called "Iron Mike" about the oil spill. HMRAD 92-11", "Exxon Valdez changed the oil industry forever—but new threats emerge", "Twenty-Five Years After the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: NOAA's Scientific Support, Monitoring, and Research", "Exxon Valdez disaster – 15 years of lies", "Captain of Exxon Valdez offers 'heartfelt apology' for '89 oil spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound", "Court Rewards Exxon for Valdez Oil Spill – Greg Palast", "The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: Final Report, State of Alaska Response", "Oil Spill Facts – Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council", "Corexit: An Oil Spill Solution Worse Than the Problem? Since the 1980s, spills of 700 metric tons or more dropped from, JOHN KAPPLER, NG STAFF. At the time it ran aground, the vessel was carrying about 201,000 m³ (53.1 million gallons) of oil. Spills can be located faster and their movements modelled more accurately, but full containment and cleanup remains, impossible Michel said. "This can create a scenario where a pilot and/or crew members may become the "accident waiting to happen." Chief Mate Kunkel went to the engine control room and determined that eight cargo tanks and two ballast tanks had been ruptured; he concluded the cargo tanks had lost an average of 10 feet of cargo, with approximately 67 feet of cargo remaining in each. Industry's insistence on regulating the Valdez tanker trade its own way, and government's incremental accession to industry pressure, had produced a disastrous failure of the system. Large spills have significantly decreased over the past 49 years. [49] Exxon filed claims in October 1990 against the Coast Guard, asking to be reimbursed for cleanup costs and damages awarded to plaintiffs in any lawsuits filed by the State of Alaska or the federal government against Exxon. Eventually, massive clean-up efforts involving thousands of people were undertaken. Risk management Today the ecosystem in Prince William Sound is healthy, robust and thriving. "[31], On March 24, 2014, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the spill, NOAA scientists reported that some species seem to have recovered, with the sea otter the latest creature to return to pre-spill numbers. It takes partnerships and collaboration between creative minds to solve the toughest challenges. By far the biggest accidental spill into the ocean was from the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico. We consider this strong performance encouraging and it serves as a solid platform for continuous improvement efforts. Sept. 12, 2018, PDF/9.71 MB • • On March 24, 1989 the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling 11 million gallons of oil. Third Mate Cousins performed required tests of navigational, mechanical and safety gear at 7:48 p.m., and all systems were found to be in working order. The worst tanker accident in the past 25 years occurred in January 2018, when two tankers collided off the coast of China. [58], According to several studies funded by the state of Alaska, the spill had both short-term and long-term economic effects. [2][6][7], The ship was carrying 53.1 million US gallons (1,260,000 bbl; 201,000 m3) of oil, of which about 10.8 million US gallons (260,000 bbl; 41,000 m3) were spilled into the Prince William Sound.[2][4][8][9][10]. The final death toll included 250,000 seabirds, almost 3,000 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles, 22 killer whales, and billions of salmon eggs. A second officer on the bridge might have been more alert to the danger in the ship's position, the failure of its efforts to turn, the autopilot steering status, and the threat of ice in the tanker lane. [68], Several weeks after the spill, Saturday Night Live aired a pointed sketch featuring Kevin Nealon, Phil Hartman, and Victoria Jackson as cleanup workers struggling to scrub the oil off of animals and rocks on a beach in Prince William Sound. plankton) are the basis of the coastal marine food chain, and others (e.g. The ecologically sensitive location, season of the year, and large scale of this spill resulted in one of the largest environmental disasters in U.S. history.Exxon settled in 1991 with funds disbursed in three discrete parts: criminal plea agreement ($25 million), criminal restitution ($100 million), and civil settlement ($900 million). Approximately 1,600 tons of steel were removed and replaced that July, totaling US$30 million of repairs to the tanker. [28] A study by the National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA in Juneau, determined that by 2001 approximately 90 tonnes of oil remained on beaches in Prince William Sound in the sandy soil of the contaminated shoreline, with annual loss rates declining from 68% per year prior to 1992, to 4% per year after 2001. Article However, this also displaced and destroyed the microbial populations on the shoreline; many of these organisms (e.g. Exxon appealed again and the case returned to Holland to be reconsidered in light of a recent Supreme Court ruling in a similar case. Weather conditions at the site were, reported to be 33 degrees F, slight drizzle rain/snow mixed, north winds at 10 knots and visibility 10 miles at the time of the grounding. A USGS scientist who analyses the remaining oil along the coastline states that it remains among rocks and between tide marks. Manning policies also may have affected crew fatigue. After the spill, the vessel was towed to San Diego, arriving on June 10, 1989, and repairs were started on June 30, 1989. The Exxon Valdez nightmare had begun. Its single-hull design remained unaltered. Exxon's actions were deemed "worse than negligent but less than malicious. Risk management Stay up to date with the latest from ExxonMobil. As one of the world's largest publicly traded energy providers and chemical manufacturers, ExxonMobil develops and applies next-generation technologies to help safely and responsibly meet the world's growing needs for energy and high-quality chemical products. The Exxon Baton Rouge (smaller ship on left) attempts to offload crude oil from the Exxon Valdez after the Valdez ran aground in Prince William sound near Valdez, Alaska, on March 26, 1989. (Appendix F). For the spill, see. Although Exxon tried briefly to return the ship to its North American fleet, it was prohibited by law from returning to Prince William Sound. Oriental Nicety, formerly Exxon Valdez, Exxon Mediterranean, SeaRiver Mediterranean, S/R Mediterranean, Mediterranean, and Dong Fang Ocean, was an oil tanker that gained notoriety after running aground in Prince William Sound spilling millions of barrels of crude oil in Alaska. It has since recovered. While there were severe short-term impacts on many species due to the spilled oil, based on the studies of many scientists who have worked extensively in Prince William Sound there has been no long-term damage caused by the spilled oil. Hazelwood's report, and the Valdez traffic center's concurrence, meant the ship would change course to leave the western, outbound lane, cross the separation zone and, if necessary, enter the eastern, inbound lane to avoid floating ice. ", Iarossi and Exxon maintain that modem automated vessel technology permits reduced manning without compromise of safety or function. The legislation included a clause that prohibits any vessel that, after March 22, 1989, has caused an oil spill of more than 1 million US gallons (3,800 m3) in any marine area, from operating in Prince William Sound. In August 2012, it was beached at Alang, India, and dismantled. Nov. 8, 2018. But testimony before the NTSB suggests that Cousins "pounded the deck" that afternoon, that he did paperwork in his cabin, and that he ate dinner starting at 4:30 p.m. before relieving the chief mate at 5 p.m. An NTSB report shows that Cousins' customary in-port watches were scheduled from 5:50 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. and again from 5:50 p.m. to 11:50 p.m. Testimony before the NTSB suggests that Cousins may have been awake and generally at work for up to 18 hours preceding the accident. • Its sinking East of Shanghai, was the greatest spill in the last 24 years, with 113,000 tonnes. Over nearly 90 days the broken well pumped 680,000 tons (approximately 5 million barrels) of oil into the Gulf. Itâs impossible to fully clean up an oil spill in the ocean, said Steiner, whoâs been involved in many spills since 1989. According to the conclusions of ExxonMobil's study: "We've done 350 peer-reviewed studies of Prince William Sound, and those studies conclude that Prince William Sound has recovered, it's healthy and it's thriving. Spill-Area and Subsistence Resources: How are they impacted by lingering oil. SOURCE: ‘OIL TANKER STATISTICS 2018’ ITOPF. Energy Factor
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