'' Oriental Nicety '' , formerly '' Exxon Valdez '' , '' Exxon Mediterranean '' , '' SeaRiver Mediterranean '' , '' S/R Mediterranean '' , '' Mediterranean '' , and '' Dong Fang Ocean '' , was an oil tanker that gained notoriety after running aground in Prince William Sound spilling hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude oil in Alaska . On March 24 , 1989 , while owned by the former Exxon Shipping Company , and captained by Joseph Hazelwood and First Mate James Kunkel bound for Long Beach , California , the vessel ran aground on the Bligh Reef resulting in the second largest oil spill in United States history . The size of the spill is estimated to have been , or 257,000 to 750,000 barrels . In 1989 , the '' Exxon Valdez '' oil spill was listed as the 54th largest spill in history
second largest oil spill
Exxon Valdez oil spill
Exxon Valdez