Exxon Valdez oil spill
E174539
The Exxon Valdez oil spill was a catastrophic 1989 environmental disaster in Alaska’s Prince William Sound, where a supertanker ran aground and released millions of gallons of crude oil, causing massive ecological and economic damage.
All labels observed (2)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Exxon Valdez oil spill canonical | 4 |
| 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill | 1 |
Statements (52)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
environmental disaster
ⓘ
maritime disaster ⓘ oil spill ⓘ |
| affectedGroup | Alaska Native communities ⓘ |
| affectedIndustry |
commercial fishing
ⓘ
tourism ⓘ |
| affectedSpecies |
Pacific herring
ⓘ
bald eagles ⓘ harbor seals ⓘ killer whales ⓘ salmon ⓘ sea otters ⓘ |
| areaAffected |
Gulf of Alaska
ⓘ
Prince William Sound ⓘ
surface form:
Prince William Sound shoreline
|
| cleanupCost | billions of US dollars ⓘ |
| cleanupMethod |
chemical dispersants
ⓘ
high-pressure hot-water washing of shorelines ⓘ in-situ burning ⓘ mechanical recovery ⓘ |
| country |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| hasCause | grounding of the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ⓘ |
| impact |
collapse of some local fisheries
ⓘ
economic losses to local communities ⓘ long-term environmental contamination ⓘ massive ecological damage ⓘ |
| ledTo |
Oil Pollution Act
ⓘ
surface form:
Oil Pollution Act of 1990
|
| legalOutcome |
US Supreme Court case Exxon Shipping Co. v. Baker
ⓘ
civil and criminal cases against Exxon ⓘ |
| location |
Alaska
ⓘ
Prince William Sound ⓘ |
| longTermEffect | persistent oil residues in some shoreline sediments for decades ⓘ |
| notableFor | being one of the worst oil spills in US history ⓘ |
| oilType | North Slope crude oil ⓘ |
| operator |
Exxon
ⓘ
surface form:
Exxon Shipping Company
|
| parentCompanyOfOperator |
Exxon
ⓘ
surface form:
Exxon Corporation
|
| publicReaction | widespread outrage and media attention ⓘ |
| punitiveDamagesInitial | US$5 billion ⓘ |
| punitiveDamagesReduced | US$507.5 million ⓘ |
| regulatoryChange |
phase-in of double-hull tanker requirements in US waters
ⓘ
stricter US oil-spill prevention and response rules ⓘ |
| responseOrganization |
Exxon
ⓘ
Alaska ⓘ
surface form:
State of Alaska
United States Coast Guard ⓘ
surface form:
US Coast Guard
|
| shorelineContaminatedLength | over 1,300 miles ⓘ |
| shorelineHeavilyOiledLength | about 200 miles ⓘ |
| startDate | 1989-03-24 ⓘ |
| tanker | Exxon Valdez ⓘ |
| timeOfDay | just after midnight ⓘ |
| volumeSpilled |
approximately 10.8 million US gallons
ⓘ
approximately 257,000 barrels ⓘ approximately 41.6 million liters ⓘ |
| year | 1989 ⓘ |
Referenced by (5)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill