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: Multiple factors have been identified as contributing to the incident: Beginning three days after the vessel grounded, a storm pushed large quantities of fresh oil onto the rocky shores of many of the beaches in the Knight Island chain. In this photograph, pooled black oil is shown stranded in the rocks
Exxon Shipping Company failed to supervise the master (ship's captain) and provide a rested and sufficient crew for Exxon Valdez. The NTSB found this practice was widespread throughout the industry, prompting a safety recommendation to Exxon and to the industry. The third mate failed to properly maneuver the vessel, possibly due to fatigue or excessive workload. Exxon Shipping Company failed to properly maintain the Raytheon Collision Avoidance System (RAYCAS) radar, which, if functional, would have indicated to the third mate an impending collision with the Bligh Reef by detecting the "radar reflector," placed on the next rock inland from Bligh Reef for the purpose of keeping ships on course. This cause was brought forward by Greg Palast and is not present in the official accident report. Captain Joseph Hazelwood, who was widely reported to have been drinking heavily that night, was not at the controls when the ship struck the reef. Exxon blamed Captain Hazelwood for the grounding of the tanker, but, Hazelwood accused the corporation of making him a scapegoat. As the senior officer in command of the ship, he was accused of being intoxicated and thereby contributing to the disaster, but he was cleared of this charge at his 1990 trial after witnesses testified that he was sober around the time of the accident.