What caused the Exxon Valdez disaster?
What caused the Exxon Valdez disaster?
Workers steaming blast rocks covered in crude oil leaking from the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker that ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska, U.S. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) eventually assigned most of the blame for the oil spill to Exxon, citing its incompetent and overworked crew.
Why was the Exxon Valdez cleanup a failure?
Skimmers, which collect water and then remove oil from the surface, were deployed over 24 hours after the spill. The skimmers got clogged with oil and kelp, so this was ineffective. Dispersants, which are chemicals that breakdown oil, were released into the water.
What was the response to the Exxon Valdez oil spill?
In the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez incident, Congress passed the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, which required the Coast Guard to strengthen its regulations on oil tank vessels and oil tank owners and operators.
How long did it take to clean up the Exxon Valdez oil spill?
Clean-Up of the Exxon Valdez Spill The entire course of the clean-up operation took around three years from 1989 to 1992 and even now, monitoring is being carried out in the entire length of the coastline to observe any late-emerging effects of the oil spill.
What state experienced a natural disaster because of the Exxon Valdez?
| Exxon Valdez oil spill | |
|---|---|
| Location | Prince William Sound, Alaska |
| Coordinates | 60.8400°N 146.8625°WCoordinates:60.8400°N 146.8625°W |
| Date | March 24, 1989 |
| Cause |
Where is Exxon Valdez today?
In 2002, the European Union banned single-hulled tankers and the former Exxon Valdez moved to Asian waters. Exxon sold the infamous tanker in 2008 to a Hong Kong-based shipping company. The company converted the old oil tanker to an ore carrier, renaming it the Dong Feng Ocean.
Did the Exxon Valdez sink?
On March 24, 1989, while owned by the former Exxon Shipping Company, and captained by Joseph Hazelwood and First Mate James Kunkel bound for Long Beach, California, the vessel ran aground on the Bligh Reef resulting in the second largest oil spill in United States history.