What happened in 1989 with the Exxon Valdez?
What happened in 1989 with the Exxon Valdez?
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On March 24, 1989 the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling 11 million gallons of oil. The ecologically sensitive location, season of the year, and large scale of this spill resulted in one of the largest environmental disasters in U.S. history.
How did the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill affect the people of Valdez Alaska?
Fishermen went bankrupt, and the economies of small shoreline towns, including Valdez and Cordova, suffered in the following years. Some reports estimated the total economic loss from the Exxon Valdez oil spill to be as much as $2.8 billion.
Why did the Exxon Valdez crash?
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.
Who crashed the Exxon Valdez?
| Joseph Hazelwood | |
|---|---|
| Born | Joseph Jeffrey Hazelwood September 24, 1946 Hawkinsville, Georgia, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Maritime consultant |
| Known for | Master of Exxon Valdez during the Exxon Valdez oil spill |
How did the Exxon Valdez 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.
Did Captain Hazelwood go to jail?
The two misdemeanor charges of which Captain Hazelwood was acquitted carried maximum penalties of one year in prison and $5,000 in fines on both charges.
What caused the Exxon Valdez oil spill?
The oil spill was caused when an oil tanker, the Exxon-Valdez, hit Bligh Reef in the Gulf of Alaska in March of 1989.
What happened to the Exxon Valdez?
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.
When was the Exxon Valdez oil spill?
The Exxon Valdez oil spill was a manmade disaster that occurred when Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker owned by the Exxon Shipping Company, spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska’s Prince William Sound on March 24, 1989. It was the worst oil spill in U.S. history until the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.