THE EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL: A review

Abstract

At 12:04 a.m., March 24, 1989, The Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker en route from Valdez, Alaska to Los
Angeles, California, ran aground on Bligh Reef. The tanker moved outside its normal shipping lanes in an attempt to
avoid icebergs. An estimated 11 million gallons of crude oil gushed into the Prince William Sound in under five
hours. Oil spread to a distance of over 750 km from the spill site, contaminating 1750 km of shoreline along the way.
Many people lost source of income due to a decrease in fish population, countless number of animals were killed with
estimates at 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles, up to 22 killer whales, and billions
of salmon and herring eggs. The remediation measures included the use of booms, in situ burning of oil, use of
absorbent barriers and skimmers and bioremediation. Lessons learnt include the change of tanker designs to double
haul and the use of clean-up methods that are in tandem with the environmental condition. This review paper
presents a summary of one of most devastating oil spills to ever have taken place in the world.