24 March 1989: Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
On March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef in Alaska’s Prince William Sound, spilling approximately 11 million gallons of crude oil into one of America’s most pristine ecosystems.
The tanker had departed the Valdez oil terminal shortly before midnight, carrying 53 million gallons of North Slope crude. To avoid icebergs, the ship left its designated shipping lane. Third Mate Gregory Cousins was at the helm when the vessel struck the reef at 12:04 a.m., ripping open eight of eleven cargo tanks.
Within hours, a massive oil slick spread across the sound, eventually contaminating over 1,300 miles of coastline. The spill killed an estimated 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles, and billions of salmon and herring eggs.
Cleanup efforts employed over 11,000 workers at a cost exceeding 2 billion dollars. Despite these efforts, only about 14 percent of the oil was ever recovered. The disaster prompted major changes to U.S. oil transportation regulations, including the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 which mandated double-hulled tankers.
