The Prestige Oil Spill

Environmental Studies > Environmental Problems

This paper looks at the lessons learned from the Exxon Valdez oil spill in order to evaluate the Prestige oil spill and its effects.

781 words () | 4 sources | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the Exxon Valdez oil spill and compares it to the Prestige spill. The paper analyzes the costs and environmental impact each spill had and offers suggestions to prevent more spills such as these from happening. These include the need to have stronger regulations on oil tankers, proper enforcement of maintenance on tankers and a willingness of governments to work together for a common good.

From the Paper:

"On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez ran aground on a reef in Prince William Sound, "rupturing its hull and spilling nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil" (NOS). In an attempt to circumvent an iceberg, the Valdez captain moved outside of the normal shipping lanes, thus running the large tanker aground. The oil spill that occurred resulted in a large clean-up operation--the largest yet in the world (NOS). Despite the huge impact of the spill, the ecosystem has proven quite resilient. Much of the affected areas look the same as they did before the spill. However, there are still long-term impacts of the spill, according to the NOAA."

Sample of Sources Used:

"Banderas Azules." GuiasPlayas.com. December 14, 2006. <http://www.guiasplayas.com/playas_banderasazules.cfm>
Bird, Maryann. "Death Coast." November 24, 2002. Time.com.December 14, 2006.<http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/article/0,13005,901021202-393593,00.html>
Miller, David. "NOAA Sends Oil Spill Experts to Spain." November22, 2006. Publicaffairs.noaa.gov. December 14, 2006. <http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases2002/nov02/noaa02156.html>
NOS Education. "Prince William's Oily Mess: A Tale of Recovery."December 14, 2006. NOAA. <http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/stories/oilymess/welcome.html>