Goodbye Exxon Valdes We Won’t Miss You

B. McPherson


The Exxon Valdes oil tanker has been sold to an Indian company and is likely headed for dismantling.

Today is the 23rd anniversary of the grounding of the Exxon Valdes on Bligh Reef in Alaska. It was one of the largest oil spills in North American history releasing nearly 11 million barrels of oil into Prince William Sound and sending an oil slick 470 miles to foul beaches and kill wildlife.

 A jury looking at the circumstances leading up to the grounding on the reef assessed damages at about $5 billion but Exxon in Supreme Court had that reduced to one tenth, about $500 million. Ref.ABC News  Alaska is still waiting for final compensation payments.

In some ways, we should thank Exxon and Captain Joseph Hazelwood for alerting us to the catastrophe that an oil spill wreaks on the environment and the people who live there. Twenty-three years later the once pristine beaches are still fouled.Thick oil lurks just below the surface on the beaches. The rich fishery has not recovered in the more than two decades, neither have the marine mammals and birds.

The west coast of British Columbia is facing a new threat to its waters with the proposed Enbridge Gateway Pipeline. The mega project, if granted permission by Ottawa, would see about 200 supertankers thread past shoals, reefs and islands to enter the twisty Douglas Channel to load up crude at the town of Kitimat.

If the oil pipeline goes ahead, there will be an oil spill that will foul the west coast. All the whiz bang technology in the world cannot overcome human error and negligence.

Circumstances leading up to the grounding convey a series of human errors and disregard for safety regulations. Was it alcohol, crew fatigue, one officer on the bridge when two were required, poor training, poor judgement? All or any one could have led to the disaster.Ref:  Oil Spill Trustee Council State of Alaska

Prior to the Exxon Valdes running aground, the tanker traffic from Valdes, Alaska, had been relatively trouble free. Was the good record until March 24, 1989 a factor in allowing complacency and sloppiness to creep into the operation? We will never know because conflicting crew stories have muddied the truth until it can no longer be seen. Capt. Hazelwood was found not guilty of being drunk while in charge of the vessel.

Location: Bligh Reef, Chugach National Forest, Alaska, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Prince Rupert Says No to Enbridge Pipeline

Image
B. McPherson Prince Rupert city council joined a growing list of BC coastal communities that are saying “No” to the Enbridge proposal to build a twinned pipeline from Edmonton to the coast. The decision of the Prince Rupert city politicians was unanimous. Already the village of Kitimaat, Terrace and the Skeena Queen Charlottes Regional District have voiced their opposition to the project. There are ongoing hearings by a federal court appointed Joint Review Panel which are gathering input from interested parties about the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline which would bring crude petroleum from the oil sands of Alberta to the coast of British Columbia. The proposal would see a twinned pipeline run over the Rocky Mountains and through wilderness to the treacherous west coast. The proposed terminus at Kitimat would require tankers to wend their way through the maze of islands and reefs to load up at the head of Douglas Channel. While the hearings and the finding
Read more

Abandoned Oil Pipelines What Lurks Below?

Image
These photos were taken July 2012 in the historic Turner Valley, Alberta B. McPherson Controversy over new oil pipelines is reaching boiling point in many circles. Heated debate is taking place over the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway and Keystone Pipeline proposals. Safety, disruption to landowners  and more are being weighed against the money to be made transporting and selling petroleum products. It got me thinking about the old pipelines. What happens to a pipeline when it is too old to use or not needed? It’s a bit of an Alice in Wonderland scene. The US laws and regulations are different from ours in Canada. The Pipeline and Gas Journal is a source of information about abandoned pipelines in Texas. Apparently a pipeline in Texas may be abandoned by a company, but it still retains ownership and may choose to reactivate the line at a later date. In the meantime, the right of way or easement is no longer maintained, but the through which the pipe extends is not free
Read more

Sea Shepherd Marks Eight Years Defending Whales in Southern Ocean

Image
By B. McPherson The Sea shepherd Society’s eighth campaign in the Southern Ocean, Operation Divine Wind , has been dogging the Japanese factory ship Nisshin Maru. Operation Divine Wind has three vessels in the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary this season – Bob Barker, Steve Irwin and the Brigette Bardot – along with helicopter capability. A new, high tech weapon is being used to good effect as well – a drone. While the Japanese government maintains that they are not conducting commercial whaling operations and have painted “Research” on the sides of their vessels, many do not believe their stand. Whale meat has found its way to the commercial markets in Japan and offers of help from non-whaling nations to assist in no-kill research have been rebuffed. The whaling fleet has a target of about 1 000 dead whales per year. The Southern Ocean around Antarctica has been designated a whale sanctuary since 1994. Research is allowed in the area and this loophole is being e
Read more