Graphic shows location of the Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster, with details on the toll on wildlife and what happened to the oil.
GN38819EN

ENVIRONMENT

Remembering the Exxon Valdez disaster

By Ninian Carter

March 24, 2019 - Thirty years ago the Exxon Valdez oil tanker spilled 41 million litres of crude oil off the coast of Alaska, causing an ecological disaster.

Thirty years ago the Exxon Valdez oil tanker struck Bligh Reef in Alaska’s pristine Prince William Sound and spilled 41 million litres of crude. Until the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, it was the worst oil spill in U.S. history. The aftermath images serve as an environmental impact warning to the Trump Administration, which plans to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling.

Initial attempts to contain the Exxon Valdez oil in the sound failed. A storm blew in, spreading the crude along some 2,100 kilometres of coastline, killing hundreds of thousands of seabirds, otters, seals and whales. Though the oil has mostly disappeared from view, many Alaskan beaches remain polluted, with crude oil buried just inches below the surface.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 25/02/2019; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Associated Press
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