Facts & Figures

1. Date: March 24th, 1989

2. Cause: Grounding of the Exxon Valdez oil tanker
3. Location: Valdez, Alaska to California
4. Volume: 10.8e6 US gal (260,000 bbl; 41,000 m3) (or 37,000 metric tonnes)
5. Shoreline impacted: 1,300 mi (2,100 km)
6. Best estimates: 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles,
22 killer whales, billions of salmon and herring eggs
7. The company changed its title when started operating again
8. Penalization: $5.3 Billion.
9. Punishment to Hazelwood: fined $50,000 and 1000 Hours of Community Service
 Normal Operating Procedures
The operation of modern oil tankers involve
numerous complexities and careful consideration
will need to be made for various shipboard
activities.
• The most basic NOP is the Restriction of
Smoking, other Burning activities and Naked
Lights.
• For dealing with Unforeseen Emergencies, such
events can be contained and their effects
minimized by preparing the ship’s crew through
a system of drills.
 Normal Operating Procedures
• A pump room contains the largest concentration
of cargo pipelines within the ship and leakage of a
volatile product from any part of this system could
lead to the rapid generation of a flammable or
toxic atmosphere. Pumproom fires can originate
from overheated pump bearings and pump
glands, and these are to be checked at least
hourly.
• Maintenance of Vent Line System, Cautions
about Sparks from Funnel, Avoidance of
Thunder Storms, Ballasting and Cargo Oil
Transfer Operations.
Normal Operating Procedures
• Oil tankers operations at sea and while at
port requires some basic safety
procedure to be observed. Carrying out
checking of tanks should be given priority
among the daily routine jobs onboard.
The Chief Officer and the Chief Engineer
should designate crew to carry out
checking of bilge and tanks where Bilge
includes the Hold, Engine Room,
Cofferdam, Void space, Chain Locker,
Emergency Fire Pump Room, Bow
Thruster Room, etc. No matter the
location of the vessel all spaces which
have a bilge sounding pipe shall be
sounded at least once a day.
Normal Operating Procedures
• The NOP for the tank cleaning includes
enabling basic Safety Precautions ,Non
Flammable Atmosphere , Atmosphere
Control during Tank Cleaning Operations
and Purging with Inert Gas.
• NOP while confirming a working area in
an oil tanker includes Confirming Working
Area, Anti-Electrostatic Clothes and Shoes
for Ship’s crew, Permission of Hot
Work ,Use of Explosion-proof Type
Electric Torch equipment, Use of Hand
Tools, Prohibition of Carrying
Unnecessary Tools, Attention to Shock
Sparks by Lighter Metals and the careful
handling of Aluminum Products.
Analysis Of The Accident
• The Exxon Valdez oil spill was a manmade
disaster that occurred when Exxon
Valdez, an oil tanker owned by the Exxon
Shipping Company, spilled 11 million
gallons of crude oil into Alaska’s Prince
William Sound on March 24, 1989.
• It was the worst oil spill in U.S. history
until the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in
2010. The Exxon Valdez oil slick covered
1,300 miles of coastline and killed
hundreds of thousands of seabirds,
otters, seals and whales.
 Analysis Of The Accident
• On the evening of March 23, 1989, Exxon
Valdez left the port of Valdez, Alaska,
bound for Long Beach, California, with 53
million gallons of Prudhoe Bay crude oil
onboard.
• Joseph Hazelwood, the captain of Exxon
Valdez, had been drinking at the time and
had allowed an unlicensed third mate to
steer the massive ship while he was
resting in his room. The task proved to be
too challenging for him coupled with
faulty equipment and a defective radar.
Analysis Of The Accident
• At four minutes after midnight on March
24, the ship struck Bligh Reef, a well-
known navigation hazard in Alaska’s
Prince William Sound.
• The impact of the collision tore open the
ship’s hull, causing some 11 million
gallons of crude oil to spill into the water.
• At the time, it was the largest single oil
spill in U.S. waters. Initial attempts to
contain the oil failed, and in the months
that followed, the oil slick spread,
eventually covering about 1,300 miles of
coastline.
 Measures/Solutions For Prevention &
Control
• Most oil pollution results from accidents
and/or carelessness. Fuel oil primarily enters
the water during refueling, but oil can also
escape during vessel transportation
operations. Firstly checking for leakages
regularly is a crucial step in preventing
catastrophical diasasters.
• Not overfilling the tanks—fill to only 90
percent capacity to reduce the chance of
spills.
• Oil booms are the most common and popular
equipment used in oil clean-up due to their
simpler design and easier execution. They Oil Boom
contain the spill making the oil easier to
remove. Keeping them on hand can prevent
severe damages to wildlife.
 Measures/Solutions For Prevention &
Control
• Materials that can adsorb or absorb liquids
are termed as sorbents. The use of sorbents is
a natural process of oil clean-up. The most
common types of sorbents are peat moss,
straw and hay. These materials result in the
least wastage and prevent the progression of
pollution. Keeping them on hand can be an
important preventative measure
• Saving the wildlife and preventing pollution is
the main objective and hence when all else
fails Burning oil is also a solution to prevent
pollution. In this method, the floating oil is
set to fire by igniting it safely. It is the most
proficient method of oil clean-up, as it can
efficiently remove 98% of the total spilled oil.
Sorbent
Measures Taken by EXXON
• The clean-up operations were largely
successful
• Over 11,000 personnel, 58 air crafts and
1,400 vessels were used to clear the
affected area and it involved complex
operations like relocating several marine
creatures
• The entire course of the clean-up
operation took around three years from
1989 to 1992 and even now, monitoring is
being carried out to observe any late-
emerging effects of the oil spill.
Measures Taken by EXXON
• According to reports, the shipping
company spent more than $3.8 billion for
the cleanup operations and also
compensated 11,000 fishermen and
others affected by the disaster.
• 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
 Situations After Accident
• However, the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill occurred in
the non-continuous coastline of Alaska, its
effects and ramifications were huge and
enormous.
• As the collision of the supertanker with the
reef ruptured 8 of its 11 cargo tanks, releasing
11 million gallons of crude oil-250,000 barrels-
into the waters of Prince William Sound in the
days to come, over 1,300 miles of coastline
were contaminated.
• It was reportedly a delay in initiating the
cleanup efforts that made this accident
catastrophic. The oil slick spread to more
areas within days, making it no longer
containable.
 Situations After Accident
• As the oil slick spread, a variety of marine and
other species were under threat. Plants and
marine mammals in the cold region, which were
already facing the threat of extinction, had to deal
with this human error.
• Seabirds were also forced to succumb to this
disaster as the oil slick in the water caused them
to drown eventually. It is estimated that almost
250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, up to 300
harbor seals, 250 bald eagles and at least 22 killer
whales were killed in this deadliest accident.
• In addition, the spill has also ended the lives of an
unknown number of herring and salmon, the
investigations conducted in the following months
revealed.
 Situations After Accident
• 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 affected because of the
penetration of oil into the waters. In the
year that the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill was
caused, there was a total financial loss of up
to $580 million due to the reduction and in
some areas, the complete absence of
recreational fishing.
Situations After Accident
• Additionally, tourism was also affected
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. According
to reports, the oil spill affected more than
26,000 jobs in the tourism industry and
over $2.4 billion in business.
• Even years after the accident, the region
is yet to recover completely from the oil
spill. The oil discharged from the Exxon
Valdez still clogs the beaches in Alaska,
the fishing industry that collapsed after
the accident still hasn’t recovered fully.
Situations After Accident
• 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.
Similarities to a Pakistani Company
• 1. Date: July 27th, 2003 (12:57 P.M.)
• 2. Company: Assimina Maritime (A
Maltese Company)
• 3. Cause: Grounding of the Assimina
Maritime oil tanker.
• 4. Location: Clifton Beach, Arabian Sea.
• 5. Volume: 27,000 tonnes.
• 6. Shoreline impacted: 9.94 miles (16
km).
• 7. Loss of marine life was recorded.
Appendix
• The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 increased penalties for companies responsible for oil
spills and required that all oil tankers in United States waters have a double hull.
• The Oil Pollution Act of 1924 is a United States federal statute establishing
regulations for coastal navigable waters with regards to intentional fossil fuel
discharges from seagoing vessels.
• The Oil Spill Law 1977, provides that anyone who discharges petroleum without a
permit - even a very small amount - is "strictly liable" (liable without regard to
fault) for all cleanup and removal costs.
• Activities related to stopping the oil spill or containing the spilled oil are considered
“emergency response” activities under OSHA’s Hazardous Waste Operations and
Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) standard, 29 CFR 1910.120 and 1926.65.
Appendix
• Marine oil spill cleanup is organized and managed according to the regulations
found in the National Oil and Hazardous Substance Pollution Contingency Plan
(NCP) at 40 CFR 300.
• A number of amendments have been introduced to the International Convention
for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), the International Convention for the
Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) and the 1988 Load Lines Protocol
have entered into force or took effect from 1 January 2014