At four minutes after midnight on March 24, the ship
struck Bligh Reef
When and where did the Exxon Valdez oil spill occur?
On March 24, 1989, shortly after midnight, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez struck
Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska
, spilling more than 11 million gallons of crude oil.
Who was at fault for the Exxon Valdez oil spill?
Drinking by
the ship's captain
, a fatigued and overworked crew and inadequate traffic control by the Coast Guard all contributed to the enormous oil spill by the Exxon Valdez off the Alaskan coast last year, the National Transportation Safety Board ruled today.
When did Exxon Valdez happen?
On
March 24, 1989
the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling 11 million gallons of oil.
What happened to the Captain of Exxon Valdez?
The National Transportation Safety Board reported Thursday that the captain of the Exxon Valdez was
legally drunk when he was tested some 10 hours after his tanker hit a reef last
week, causing the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
How many animals died in the Exxon Valdez oil spill?
The Exxon Valdez disaster dramatically changed all of that, taking a major toll on wildlife. It killed an
estimated 250,000 sea birds, 3,000 otters, 300 seals, 250 bald eagles and 22 killer whales
.
What did we learn from the Exxon Valdez oil spill?
It decimated salmon fisheries. It
killed hundreds of harbor seals and thousands of sea otters
. It wiped out hundreds of thousands of sea birds, and billions of salmon and herring eggs. The “highly unlikely” devastated 28 types of animals, from mussels and clams to salmon, bald eagles, cormorants, and killer whales.
Is there still oil from the Exxon Valdez?
A small portion of the oil from the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill still lingers in patches beneath Prince William Sound, Alaska, beaches. However, this and other studies suggests the
remaining oil is sequestered
, or buried, and currently is not posing a risk to the coastal and marine ecosystem.
How did the Exxon Valdez crash happen?
Exxon Valdez oil spill, massive oil spill that occurred on March 24, 1989, in Prince William Sound, an inlet in the Gulf of Alaska, Alaska, U.S. The incident happened after
an Exxon Corporation tanker, the Exxon Valdez, ran aground on Bligh Reef during a voyage from Valdez
, Alaska, to California.
Why was the Exxon Valdez cleanup delayed?
The chairman of the Exxon Corporation said yesterday that
a lack of authorization from Alaskan and Coast Guard officials
contributed to the delay in efforts to clean up the oil spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound.
How long did the Exxon Valdez cleanup take?
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 were the long term effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill?
A new study released today into the effects of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska shows that
embryonic salmon and herring exposed to very low levels of crude oil can develop hidden heart defects that compromise their later survival
, indicating that the spill may have had much greater impacts on spawning fish …
What was the most expensive oil spill in history?
According to the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited, “The most expensive oil spill in history is
the EXXON VALDEZ
(Alaska, 1989).
How did the Exxon Valdez oil spill affect humans?
No humans died
during the actual oil spill, but four were killed during the cleanup. Furthermore, many workers involved in the cleanup fell ill. Respiratory illnesses (of which 6,722 were reported) were thought to be colds or flus and were even called ‘the Valdez crud.
Are oil spills pollution?
An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the marine ecosystem, due to human activity, and is
a form of pollution
.
How are animals cleaned after oil spills?
The animals are warmed, fed, hydrated and rested for a period of around 48 hours before they are washed in a series of tubs filled with a mixture
of diluted cleaning agent and hot, softened water
. The cleaned animals are then placed in outdoor pools, or other appropriate housing.
