The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: the Harm That Followed.
Almost 14,000 oil spills are reported each year. The Exxon Valdez oil spill is one these reported and also one of the world's most known. It was not the largest spill, but it had the most detrimental environmental effects known today. The Exxon Valdez spill is also the most expensive spills to date. The spill occurred in Prince William Sound of Alaska. This is a large commercial fishing industry, plus it is home to migratory birds, sea otters, and many other marine mammals. The Exxon Valdez spill sadly could have been prevented. Because of the negligence of the captain of the Exxon Valdez, the tanker struck a reef with detrimental effects.
The Exxon Valdez tanker was loaded with 40 million gallons (952,000 barrels) of oil in Valdez from the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. The captain of the ship, Captain Joseph Hazelwood, came on board after having drinks with a friend at the port. Once the ship was filled they wasted no time and began their journey to the refineries in Long Beach, California after dark on the evening of March 23, 1989. .
When the captain boarded the ship, he knew many things about the ship. For example, when the 987 foot long ship is fully loaded it rides five stories deep in the water (Blashfield, 17). Bligh Reef, which they would be passing by is only 40 feet below the surface of the sea. This massive ship takes at least two miles to stop. Knowing all of this information Captain Hazelwood decided to cut it close by trying to turn the tanker in the narrow space between the ice and the reef. (Schoowe, 11).
With all of this known, the captain did three strange things. He ordered the helmsman to put the ship on automatic pilot, he ordered the engines accelerated to a speed normally used only in open seas, and he left the bridge, with a junior officer, third mate Gregory Cousins, in charge while he went to his cabin.
An oil spill is a leakage from an oceangoing tanker, pipelines, or other oil sources. Oil spills occur very frequently, and cause enormous ecological harm. About eight million barrels of oil are spilled each year. ... The spill left pools of oil up to three feet on some beaches. ... How can we prevent oil spills? ...
When a spill occurs, various government agencies and industry start to immediately work to retrieve the spilled oil and minimize its impact on the environment. ... From 1989, the year of the Exxon Valdez spill, the total amount of oil spilled in U.S. waters has declined from 14 million gallons to 1.1 million gallons spilled in 1997. ... This water-in-oil emulsion may be 50-80 percent water and thus increases the volume of the oil spilled. ... Long term, biodegradation is the dominant weathering action on an oil spill. ... Spreading When oil is spilled, it spreads into a thin layer on t...
An oil spill is a leakage from an oceangoing tanker, pipelines, or other oil sources. Oil spills occur very frequently, and cause enormous ecological harm. About eight million barrels of oil are spilled each year. ... The spill left pools of oil up to three feet on some beaches. ... How can we prevent oil spills? ...
Effect of Oil Spills and Steps of Prevention A wrecked supertanker, with a black tidal wave of volatile crude oil spilling from its side, has become a powerful symbol of the destruction of the ocean's wildlife population and the natural environment. ... Coastal oil spills can harm marine life in a variety of ways. ... "The "Torrey Canyon" oil spill in 1967 left about 10,000 bird corpses on beaches in England." ... According to SITE FOUR, almost 14,000 oil spills are reported every year. ... Another advantage to the use of dispersants, aside from its reliability, is that it can b...
An oil spill is when major amounts of oil is dumped into the water of anything ranging from lakes to oceans. ... Oil spills also affect the environment. ... Another major but obvious species that oil spills affect are fishes. ... There are three ways to solve the oil spill issue. ... There are four types of chemicals that people use to clean up the oil spills. ...
The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: the Harm That Followed Almost 14,000 oil spills are reported each year. The Exxon Valdez oil spill is one these reported and also one of the world's most known. ... By this time a tremendous amount of oil was spilled and spread from the tanker. ... Because of this, oil dispersants were not used during the first two crucial days following the oil spill (Blashfield, 21). ... Less than 10 percent of the oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez had been collected. ...
The contractors used booms, vacuum trucks, and other equipment to retrieve the spilled oil, recovering about 20 percent of the oil that gushed into the river. ... Coast Guard with the authority to establish a program for preventing, preparing for, and responding to oil spills that occur in navigable waters of the United States. In 1973, EPA issued the Oil Pollution Prevention regulation (codified at 40 CFR Part 112), to address the oil spill prevention provisions contained in the Clean Water Act of 1972. ... It is required to address the facility's design, operation, and maintenance p...
China's crisis is one of a lesser degree than the crisis in the Gulf, according to the Associated Press, who reported that the spill had only spread over 165 square miles, just a small area compared to the 2,700 square miles covered by BP's oil spill (Adams). MSNBC.com further reported that China's spill released approximately 400,000 gallons of oil as compared to the 94 million to 184 million gallons now polluting the Gulf, although The Huffington Post believes the damage is dramatically underestimated. ... Although this most recent spill is nowhere near the magnitude of the ...
Crude oil can have negative effects such as oil spills. Oil spills can affect anything it touches. ... Solutions of effects/impacts: Some of the negative impacts of crude oil is oil spills. ... For our future generations, People who own industries or companies that causes oil spills, should regard disposal procedures that prevent oil spills from happening again. ... Another negative impact of oil is oil spills leaking into the ocean. ...
