On March 24, 1989, shortly after midnight, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez struck Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling more than 11 million gallons of crude oil. Eight of the 11 cargo tanks were ruptured and Alaska North Slope crude oil began gushing from the tanker into the waters of Prince William Sound. The state and federal governments estimate that 250,000 to 260,000 barrels of North Slope crude oil (11 million U.S. gallons) spilled from the tanker. The size of the spill and its remote location, accessible only by helicopter and boat, made government and industry efforts difficult and tested existing plans for dealing with such an event. The spill posed threats to the delicate food chain that supports Prince William Sound's commercial fishing industry. Also in danger were ten million migratory shore birds and waterfowl, hundreds of sea otters, dozens of other species, such as harbor porpoises and sea lions, and several varieties of whales.The Tanker / Vessel Exxon Valdez (EV) was a typical modern tankship of all welded steel construction. The EV was delivered to Exxon on December 11, 1986 and was the largest ship ever built on the West Coast of the United States. It was the first of two Alaska-class tankships designed and built for the Exxon Shipping Company by the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in its San Diego shipyard. The vessel was designed to meet standards of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from ships of 1978. These standards provided for protectively located ballast tanks, maximum tank compartment length, and damage stability. The EV was certified by the US Coast Guard for the transportation of crude oil products. The Exxon Valdez measured 987 feet long, 166 feet wide, and 88 feet deep from the main deck to the flat keel. The tankship had a maximum draft (loaded draft) of 64.5 feet. At maximum draft the ship could transport about 1.48 million barrels (25238.1 gallons) of c...
