Exxon Valdez oil spill

E174539

The Exxon Valdez oil spill was a catastrophic 1989 environmental disaster in Alaska’s Prince William Sound, where a supertanker ran aground and released millions of gallons of crude oil, causing massive ecological and economic damage.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Exxon Valdez oil spill canonical 4
1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (52)

Predicate Object
instanceOf environmental disaster
maritime disaster
oil spill
affectedGroup Alaska Native communities
affectedIndustry commercial fishing
tourism
affectedSpecies Pacific herring
bald eagles
harbor seals
killer whales
salmon
sea otters
areaAffected Gulf of Alaska
Prince William Sound shoreline
cleanupCost billions of US dollars
cleanupMethod chemical dispersants
high-pressure hot-water washing of shorelines
in-situ burning
mechanical recovery
country United States
hasCause grounding of the oil tanker Exxon Valdez
impact collapse of some local fisheries
economic losses to local communities
long-term environmental contamination
massive ecological damage
ledTo Oil Pollution Act of 1990
linked to: Oil Pollution Act
legalOutcome US Supreme Court case Exxon Shipping Co. v. Baker
civil and criminal cases against Exxon
location Alaska
Prince William Sound
longTermEffect persistent oil residues in some shoreline sediments for decades
notableFor being one of the worst oil spills in US history
oilType North Slope crude oil
operator Exxon Shipping Company
linked to: Exxon
parentCompanyOfOperator Exxon Corporation
linked to: Exxon
publicReaction widespread outrage and media attention
punitiveDamagesInitial US$5 billion
punitiveDamagesReduced US$507.5 million
regulatoryChange phase-in of double-hull tanker requirements in US waters
stricter US oil-spill prevention and response rules
responseOrganization Exxon
State of Alaska
linked to: Alaska

US Coast Guard
shorelineContaminatedLength over 1,300 miles
shorelineHeavilyOiledLength about 200 miles
startDate 1989-03-24
tanker Exxon Valdez
timeOfDay just after midnight
volumeSpilled approximately 10.8 million US gallons
approximately 257,000 barrels
approximately 41.6 million liters
year 1989

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (5)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Public Law 101-380 motivatedByEvent Exxon Valdez oil spill
Prince William Sound historicalEvent Exxon Valdez oil spill
Prince William Sound affectedBy Exxon Valdez oil spill
Cordova, Alaska affectedBy Exxon Valdez oil spill
Chenega eventAffectedBy 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill
linked to: Exxon Valdez oil spill