Response crews attempt to remove the remaining oil aboard the grounded tanker Exxon Valdez. Trustees National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Department of the Interior. Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. Last updated August 17, More about Exxon Valdez.
Northwest Region. Oil Spill. The Exxon Valdez was the worst oil spill in U. Within days oil from the Exxon Valdez spread some 1, miles along the coast of what was pristine wilderness. Eventually, massive clean-up efforts involving thousands of people were undertaken. The final death toll included , seabirds, almost 3, sea otters, harbor seals, bald eagles, 22 killer whales, and billions of salmon eggs. Populations of pacific herring, a cornerstone of the local fishing industry, collapsed.
Fishermen went bankrupt. And the impacts of these disasters can linger for decades. Thirty years later, local populations of killer whales and some seabirds in Prince William Sound have still not recovered, he said.
Some of the oil is still there, too. Recent sampling along the coast revealed pockets of oil buried four to eight inches under sand and gravel, often topped by stones. A powerful storm or earthquake could potentially put that oil residue back into Prince William Sound, Michel said. However, digging up those residues to remove them would likely do more harm than good, she added.
In the wake of the Exxon Valdez disaster, the U. Congress passed a law, in , that required oil tankers in U. Combined with tougher regulations and better navigation equipment, oil spills releasing more than seven tons from tankers plummeted from a high of 79 spills per year in the s to six per year over the past decade, according to ITOPF , an association of shipowners that responds to oil spills.
The decline in large spills greater than tons was even more dramatic, falling from Perhaps surprisingly, given its notoriety and impact on the shipping industry, the Exxon Valdez spill was only the 36th worst tanker oil spill yet recorded. The biggest between and happened in , off the coast of Tobago in the West Indies when the Atlantic Empress lost , tons of crude in a collision with another tanker.
For comparison, the Valdez lost 37, tons. There is roughly gallons in a metric ton of oil. The worst tanker accident in the past 25 years occurred in January , when two tankers collided off the coast of China.
An Iranian oil tanker, the Sanchi, lost , tons of highly toxic natural gas condensate. The ill-effects of Exxon Valdez Oil Spill were not only for the marine creatures but also for the people residing in the adjacent areas of Prince William Sound. One of the immediate short-term effects of the casualty caused by the Exxon Valdez was the impact on recreational fishing which was carried out in the Prince William Sound. This was greatly hampered because of the penetration of oil into the waters.
Additionally, tourism was also hampered throughout Alaska after the accident. The number of tourists who arrived in Alaska was in a record low for almost a year following the oil spill, making a significant impact on the local economy.
However, most importantly, the impact of the oil spill was not just limited to this. The long-term impact of the accident was and is being felt more on the eco-system and the environment. And, in spite of the fact that the company Exxon Mobil helped greatly in the clean-up operations along with the US Coast Guard, the inadvertent-yet-avertable accident caused by the Exxon Valdez ended up leaving a huge impact.
Even years after the accident, the region is yet to recover completely from the oil spill. The clean-up operations were largely successful since the response to the incident was prompt not only by the US government but also by the company — Exxon Mobil. Over 11, personnel, 58 air crafts and 1, vessels were used to clear the affected area and it involved complex operations like relocating several marine creatures in order to safeguard their life till the clean-up operations were completed successfully.
The entire course of the clean-up operation took around three years from to and even now, monitoring is being carried out in the entire length of the coastline to observe any late-emerging effects of the oil spill.
However, after a number of appeals, the U. During the operation, the methods used for the cleaning up of the oil included burning, mechanical cleanup, while chemical dispersants were also used to control the impact of the oil spill.
However, the penetration into the further depths of the ocean caused by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill was way too enormous for clearing-up immediately. The sub-surface oil appears to be inactive in terms of a negative impact but in reality, contains far more poisonous content that could harm not just the marine creatures but also the flora and fauna. At present, despite the clean-up, about 20 acres of the Alaskan coastline is supposed to be polluted by this sub-surface oil phenomenon.
The enormity of the marine casualty caused by Exxon Valdez is something that is being felt even in recent times and will be seen even in the future. But owing to the prompt and effective response from the concerned parties, the impact of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill will definitely be reduced rather than being completely destroyed in the absence of any clean-up response.
Owing to this positivity of the situation, one can rest assured that in spite of an accident happening, one managed to avert the worst and ended up doing a marine salvage in the best possible manner. Data and charts, if used, in the article have been sourced from available information and have not been authenticated by any statutory authority. The author and Marine Insight do not claim it to be accurate nor accept any responsibility for the same.
The views constitute only the opinions and do not constitute any guidelines or recommendation on any course of action to be followed by the reader. The article or images cannot be reproduced, copied, shared or used in any form without the permission of the author and Marine Insight. Tags: Exxon Valdez oil spill. Journalist by training, and an academic in aspiration, Shamseer Mambra currently works as a freelance journalist, after spending three years in the newsrooms of some of the reputed media houses in India.
When not at work, he likes to read, click photographs and go for a ride on his bike.
0コメント