Exxon today refloated its still-leaking oil tanker, whose fugitive captain surrendered a few hours earlier to face charges of operating the vessel while drunk. A judge in Hauppauge, N.Y., set bail at $500,000 for the captain, 20 times as much as prosecutors had recommended, saying ``we have a manmade destruction that has not been equaled, probably, since Hiroshima.'' With claims against Exxon for damages escalating into the millions, U.S. Navy oil skimmers were pressed into service, and Exxon accepted an offer of help from the Soviet Union. Salvage crews pumped compressed air into the $125 million ship to float it off Bligh Reef, 25 miles from the port of Valdez. From there, it began a 30-mile journey under the control of six tugs to a remote cove off Naked Island for temporary repairs, picking its way through scattered icebergs. The ship was refloated before tide reached its peak Wednesday. ``It was not just a stroke of good luck,'' said Gary Gorski, Exxon's salvage coordinator. ``It took a lot of hard work.'' Company officials turned to the Far East in search of a dry dock willing to accept the crippled leviathan Exxon Valdez. As the oil off Alaska spread over 2,600 square miles, an area larger than the state of Delaware, the fired captain of the tanker turned himself in this morning to authorities in Hauppauge, N.Y. Joseph Hazelwood, who lives on New York's Long Island, appeared with his attorney 12 days after his ship ran aground and nearly a week after the National Transportation Safety Board said tests showed he was under the influence of alcohol several hours after the accident. He had been sought since Sunday on a fugitive warrant for three misdemeanor charges that carry a penalty of up to 2\ years in jail. Alaska authorities have said they will seek his extradition. Exxon said it has changed its policy because of the spill and now requires crews to be aboard ship, where drinking is prohibited, four hours before sailing. Oil as thick as mayonnaise has soiled 800 miles of beach, thousands of animals are known dead, including at least 30 sea otters. ``Dozens of otters are dying before rescuers can get to them,'' said fish and game spokesman Jon Lyman. The dead otters included a year-old pup, one of five that had been sent to San Diego's Sea World for treatment. While the toll from the nation's worst oil spill mounted, its impact on the flow of Alaskan crude was abating. The Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. said it would resume a normal daily flow of 2.1 million barrels of oil through the trans-Alaska pipeline today. The flow had been cut by 60 percent because of restrictions on tanker traffic in Valdez harbor, but those restrictions have eased. In the longer turn, though, the spill could slow petroleum exploration in environmentally sensitive areas at least temporarily, Environmental Protection Administrator William Reilly told Congress. On Tuesday, crews finished transferring about 42 million gallons of crude from the crippled tanker to other ships in preparation for the refloating. The $125 million vessel, one of Exxon's newest, had been sitting on Bligh Reef in since running aground March 24 and spilling more than 10 million gallons of crude. After that, Exxon said its first choice for dry dock is Portland, Ore., but officials there said they weren't sure if they'd allow that, even though the $12 million repair bill would provide about 200 jobs. ``A lot of questions that need to be answered,'' Oregon Gov. Neil Goldschmidt said. Canadian authorities also asked Exxon for assurances that towing the tanker to Oregon won't damage the British Columbia coast. Exxon Shipping Co. President Frank Iarossi said the company has had discussions with dry docks in South Korea, Japan and Singapore about accepting the vessel. He said the ship won't trail any pollution while it is towed. Iarossi said Exxon had not added up its costs so far. ``Millions, multiple millions. It's going to be big numbers,'' he said. One hundred claims have been filed with the company for damages, including 40 on Tuesday alone. The claims have come mostly from fishermen. Exxon has settled only two so far. At least 14 lawsuits have been filed. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimated the leading edge of the spill was 100 miles southwest of the tanker off the Kenai Peninsula. The spill has been pushed away from Kenai Fjords National Park and the area south of Seward by water flowing out of Resurrection Bay. Fisheries within the sound remained threatened, and the slick appeared to be oozing slowly toward other Alaskan ports. Exxon gave $1 million on Monday to Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corp. to buy boom to defend hatcheries, said Susan Ogle, a spokeswoman for the Cordova spill response office. Exxon said it has asked the State Department to notify Moscow that it has accepted a Soviet offer of an oil skimmer. Five of the U.S. Navy's 18 heavy-duty oil skimmers went into operation Monday, and Exxon requested the remaining 13. The company also said that placing an oil-catching boom around the ship immediately after the grounding could have touched off a giant explosion of gases from the oil, although that was not the reason it took 11 hours to set the first containment line. ``The worst thing we could have done early on was try to boom the vessel. We would have lost the vessel,'' said Iarossi. Officials have said boom wasn't placed around the vessel immediately because the equipment wasn't available in Valdez.
Today, the still-leaking Exxon Valdez was refloated and began a 30-mile journey to Naked Island for temporary repairs. Forty-two million gallons had been transferred. Ten million gallons of crude were spilled, covering 2,600 square miles, soiling 800 miles of beach, and killing thousands of animals. The captain has surrendered. The flow of Alaskan oil, which had been cut by 60 percent, is returning to normal. Exxon, which continues to search for a dry dock for repairs, has provided money to defend Prince William hatcheries. But in Alaska, where oil spills are still common, there have been no prosecutions or even public hearings on how to clean up the mess. One hundred claims and at least 14 lawsuits have been filed against the company.