exxon valdez Essay - 503 Words

At four minutes past midnight, on March 24, 1989 the Exxon Valdez crashed into the Bligh Reef located in the northeastern part of the Prince William Sound. The ship was loaded with 1,264,155 barrels of oil. Approximately one-fifth of the cargo was spilt into the sea, which totaled to 11.2 million gallons. Due to strong northeastern winds the oil could not be contained, leaving the water into an emulsion that will not burn and is nearly impossible to remove from the surface. Oil continued to move southwest eventually reaching the Alaskan Peninsula. The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill of 1989 was a significant event, which heightened environmental awareness in both the business and private sectors of the United States. The cause of the spill as†¦show more content†¦On the national level changes were made which heightened environmental awareness as well. The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 was written and passed which raised liability, set up new prevention measures and a response fund. Exxon was fined millions of dollars as a result of their negligence. First they were fined $150 million, the largest fine ever for an environmental fine. Exxon next agreed to a $100 million dollar fine for wildlife damage. Finally in the civil settlement they agreed to pay $900 million dollars over a 10-year period. By imposing these fines the government wanted to make sure nothing like this would ever happen again. The U.S. Coast Guard now monitors all tankers, via satellite as they pass through the Valdez Narrows, around Bligh Island and as they exit the Prince William Sound at the Hinchinbrook Entrance. Prior to the spill tankers were only watched as they cruised through the Valdez Narrows. Two escort ships are now required to follow every tanker and are equipped to assist in the case of an emergency. Only one escort ship was used before the tragedy. Specially trained captains with much experience are now aboard ships during the entire voyage through the Sound, making sure safe navigation practices are used. The debate continues over whether a spill like the Exxon Valdez could be contained with all these new regulations. However the ability of both industry and government to respond has been significantly raised during the last ten years as a resultShow MoreRelatedThe Exxon Valdez Oil Spill1718 Words   |  7 PagesThe Exxon Valdez A corporation has a moral duty to ensure that their products and operations do not cause harm to society and the environment. There are significant factors that must be taken into consideration to ensure the proper response is put forth if disaster rears its ugly head. Many times, when disaster strikes, companies do not always make the appropriate response, or they do not remediate the problem efficiently enough to maximize their efforts. The Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 is aRead MoreThe Exxon Valdez Oil Spill1090 Words   |  5 PagesThis presentation features the Exxon Valdez oil spill, which significantly affected the environment in and around Valdez, Alaska. In this connection, Group D will explore: the background information of Prince William Sound, the oil business in Valdez and the event of the oil spill. Next, the team defines the problems – that is, the effects of the spill – what damage did it cause. After, we will diagnose the issues – meaning that the group intends to pinpoint the root causes of the problems. The nextRead MoreThe Exxon Valdez Oil Spill1663 Words   |  7 PagesThe Exxon Valdez oil spill was the largest oil spill in U.S history. It was a catastrophic disaster that the U.S swore to learn from. Twenty two years later as the prevention procedures became complacent, the Deepwater Horizon explosion made us re-examine our procedures as a nation. The Deepwater Horizon explosion is now the second worst oil spill in the world following the Gulf War Oil Spill in Kuwait in 1991. The U.S used similar techniques to clean the water as the Exxon Valdez clean up, howeverRead MoreThe Exxon Valdez Left Port1425 Words   |  6 PagesLooking back on the night of March 24, 1989 when the Exxon Valdez left port, it seemed as though the ship had only lasted as long as it had by running on luck and hope. With the company trying to save money and the crew working on fumes, things were headed down a dark path. One of the wonderful t hings about being human is our ability to look back on events that have occurred and learn from them. Unfortunately for Exxon, it took a catastrophic accident like this one to show how operations could beRead MoreThe Exxon Valdez Oil Spill1150 Words   |  5 PagesThe Exxon-Valdez oil spill occurred on March 24, 1989, when the tanker Exxon Valdez, transporting oil from Valdez, Alaska to Los Angeles, California, ran aground on the Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The root cause of the accident was the captain. After passing through Valdez Narrows, pilot Murphy left the vessel and Captain Hazelwood took over the wheelhouse. It was Captain Hazelwood who made the decision to steer the ship off its normal path in order to avoid a run in with ice. ForRead MoreThe Exxon Valdez Oil Spill1581 Words   |  7 Pagestoday. Through the instances of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, the Kuwait Oil Fires, the Hurricane Katrina devastation and the Sydney Tar Ponds, this paper will develop an argument supporting the idea that governments should be given the responsibility to handle environmental hazards that result from the prior use of resources as well as environmental regulations that are no longer up to standard. Arguments/Examples I. The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill To begin, the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill was a man-made environmentalRead MoreThe Exxon Valdez Oil Spill1999 Words   |  8 PagesPart 1 – Briefly describe the Exxon Valdez oil spill: On March 24th 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground in Prince William Sound Alaska, spilling roughly 10.8 gallons of crude oil polluting over a thousand miles of Alaska’s coast (Gerken, 2014). At its time, it was the worst oil spill in history, lasting for several days. It was caused by the negligence of the captain who was reportedly intoxicated at the time. The oil was very quickly dispersed over a wide area of land because of extremeRead More Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Essay1835 Words   |  8 Pages Exxon Valdez Oil Spill ABSTRACT nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In March of 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska. An eighteen foot wide hole was ripped into the hull, and 10.9 million gallons of crude oil spilled into the ocean. In the following weeks, many things transpired. This paper will discuss the cleanup, the damage, and the results of the biggest oil spill in United States history. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;On March 24, 1989, inRead MoreExxon Valdez Oil Spill Essay1855 Words   |  8 PagesExxon Valdez Oil Spill ABSTRACT In March of 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska. An eighteen foot wide hole was ripped into the hull, and 10.9 million gallons of crude oil spilled into the ocean. In the following weeks, many things transpired. This paper will discuss the cleanup, the damage, and the results of the biggest oil spill in United States history. On March 24, 1989, in Prince William Sound Alaska, the Exxon Valdez was movingRead MoreThe Exxon Valdez And Bp Oil Spill1309 Words   |  6 PagesHuerta Anth 231 Dr. Pitchon 12/11/12 References Gill, Duane A., J. Steven Picou, and Liesel A. Ritchie. The Exxon Valdez and BP oil spills: a Comparison of Initial Social and Psychological Impacts. American Behavioral Scientist (2011): 3-23. This article was concerned in identifying psychological impact of disasters. The article analyzed the psychological effects of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill and the 2010 BP oil spill. The article discussed how years after these disasters the environment and