Exxon Valdez

Paper Summary:

This paper describes the oil spill accident that infused several million gallons of oil into a pristine wilderness area in Prince William Sound, Alaska, in 1989. The details of the spill are recorded and the writer also includes the conclusions of the Oil Spill Commission that investigated the accident. The paper explains the impact of the oil spill and how the subsequent efforts of ExxonMobil to repair the damage are still considered to be inadequate. The paper also quotes a recent study which concluded that far from having recovered, the Sound area persists to experience problems as a result of the oil spill but concludes that valuable lessons have been learnt from the Exxon Valdez disaster and great strides have been made since the disaster in setting up an oil-spill prevention system in the Sound.

From the Paper:

"The oil tanker Exxon Valdez was a 987-foot ship, which was the second newest out of the 20 tanker fleets of the Exxon Shipping Company. The ship left the Alyska Pipeline Terminal at 9.12 pm, Alaska Standard Time on March 23, 1989 and was then loaded with 53,094, 540 gallons of North Slope crude oil to be transported to Long Beach in California. (The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Disaster) Exxon Valdez had hit at a reef in the Prince William Sound of Alaska on March 24, 1989 and it was considered as a nightmare. Within three hours if the incident, the Exxon Valdez was being grounded at Bligh Reef, with eight of its 11 cargo tanks being damaged and about several million gallons of crude oil were being spread into Prince William Sound. Before the occurrence of this accident Exxon Valdez had already transported oil through the Prince William Sound for more than 8700 times. Further before the occurrence of the Exxon Valdez disaster, the system of transiting of about 2 million barrels daily from the North Slope oil to the West coast and Gulf Coast markets had worked really well. Such complacency and efficacy were being affected when the Exxon Valdez had faced with the disaster on March 24. (Details about the Accident) This incident not only brought about revolutionary changes in Prince William Sound but also made the world to think seriously regarding the assurances, which were received from the corporations about their operations being safe."

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