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Providing coverage of Alaska and northern Canada's oil and gas industry
March 2019

Vol. 24, No.13 Week of March 31, 2019

Reflecting on the Exxon Valdez disaster

Alan Bailey

Petroleum News

March 24 marked the 30th anniversary of the grounding of the tanker ExxonValdez on Bligh Reef and the consequent spilling of nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil into the pristine waters of Prince William Sound. The spill caused massive damage to the delicate environment of the Sound, with some impacts of the spill still observed decades after it happened.

The spill became something of a wakeup call regarding the hazards associated with the marine transportation of oil and resulted in the stringent safety and environmental protection arrangements that now apply to tanker operations to and from the Valdez Marine Terminal. Those arrangements include comprehensive spill response contingency plans, supported by a huge arsenal of spill response equipment including response barges, skimmers and boom. Strict safety rules apply to the tanker operations. A fleet of fishing vessels is now under contract, ready to assist with any oil spill emergency.

Double hulled tankers, rather than single hulled vessels, now ship the oil from the terminal, escorted by two powerful tugs.

“The Exxon Valdez spill fundamentally changed the way industry, regulators, states and nations looked at the inherent risks of marine oil transportation,” said Tom Barrett, president of Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., in comments on the Exxon Valdez anniversary. “New laws and regulations following the spill locked multiple new safeguards into place - safeguards that are still in place and continue to evolve today.”

ExxonMobil also learned from the disaster. The company said that, following the spill, it launched a top-to-bottom review of its operations and then implemented a new Operations Integrity Management System. According to a recent report in the Financial Times, there has been a major improvement in the company’s safety record since the implementation of this system.

- ALAN BAILEY






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