Title: Exxon Valdez oil spill - Wikipedia
Headings: Exxon Valdez
oil spill

Exxon Valdez oil spill
Contents
Spill
Clean-up and major effects
Litigation and cleanup costs
Political consequences and reforms
Coast Guard report
Oil Pollution Act of 1990
Alaska regulations
Economic and personal impact
Reactions
In popular culture
See also
References
Further reading
External links

Content: The oil industry promised, but never installed, state-of-the-art iceberg monitoring equipment. Exxon Valdez was sailing outside the normal sea lane to avoid small icebergs thought to be in the area. Coast Guard vessel inspections in Valdez were not performed, and the number of staff was reduced. Lack of available equipment and personnel hampered the spill cleanup. This disaster resulted in International Maritime Organization introducing comprehensive marine pollution prevention rules ( MARPOL) through various conventions. The rules were ratified by member countries and, under International Ship Management rules, the ships are being operated with a common objective of "safer ships and cleaner oceans." In 2009, Exxon Valdez Captain Joseph Hazelwood offered a "heartfelt apology" to the people of Alaska, suggesting he had been wrongly blamed for the disaster: " The true story is out there for anybody who wants to look at the facts, but that's not the sexy story and that's not the easy story," he said. Hazelwood said he felt Alaskans always gave him a fair shake. Clean-up and major effects
Workers using high-pressure, hot-water washing to clean an oiled shoreline
Chemical dispersant, a surfactant and solvent mixture, was applied to the slick by a private company on March 24 with a helicopter, but the helicopter missed the target area.