Exxon Valdez Alaska's Prince William Sound - Assignment Example

Although the oil spill observed was not the worst in history with only 11 million gallons spilled into the environment, it was particularly devastating because of the location of the spill so close to land (Leacock, 2009).  This has caused there to be changed in the rules and regulations for oil tankers.     Reasons for the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Human Error Human error is one factor that has been reported to have contributed to the tanker, Exxon Valdez, colliding with the reef and causing a large oil spill.

There were several errors made by the crew that contributed to the crash.  The ship’s captain was not on the deck during navigation through the narrow area between the reef and an iceberg. Also, the ship was on auto-pilot without the crew being aware it was still on which caused the ship to turn slowly. The added human error factors were that it was not in the normal traffic lane, the tanker was going faster than it should have been, and the crew was unaware of how close they were navigating towards the reef (“Step 2”, n.d.).

Each of these factors helped to contribute to the reason why this disaster occurred. Natural Surroundings Another factor that contributed to this tragic oil spill that had a big impact on the wildlife in the area was the natural surroundings. The first natural factor is the fact that this spill occurred so close to the land, where many seabirds and marine life are located.  Other worse spills have occurred out in deeper waters, so they did not have the same impact on the wildlife that this particular incident had on the coast.

The area itself that the Exxon Valdez was traveling in also contributed to the oil spill as the ship ran aground on the Bligh Reef, which is shallow and sharp (Streissguth, 2002). Many of the human errors that had occurred would not have been a problem if the natural surroundings were different from those encountered, such as if the tanker had been in the open ocean. Ship’s Construction An additional factor that contributed to the accident was the tanker ship’s construction. The Exxon Valdez was constructed with only a single hull that allowed for the sharp reef to puncture eleven of the cargo holds, and it is believed that with a double-hulled boat that less oil would have leaked into the environment reducing the impact that this accident had on the wildlife and fisheries.

This belief is so closely held that Exxon has pledged to stop using single-hull tankers by 2015 (Nightingale & Hopfinger, 2009). Changes after the Exxon Valdez Accident After the Exxon Valdez accident, there have been new rules and regulations placed by the United States and Canadian governments on ways to make shipping safer for people and the environment. Prior to the spill, the U.S. Coast Guard only monitored tankers going through the Valdez Narrows and Valdez Arm, but due to the spill, they now monitor by satellite the tankers traveling through Valdez Narrows until it is exiting the Prince William Sound (“Spill Prevention and Response”, n.d.).

This would surely help to prevent other tankers from getting as off-course as the Exxon Valdez did during its fateful journey that late night in 1989. Some of the Canadian restrictions that have been put into place to regulate shipping includes large ships, such as tankers, should have two radar systems onboard for improved navigation, and that individuals tanks within the cargo hold must be limited to prevent large scale oil spills, such as the one that occurred from the Exxon Valdez (“Prevention is The Best Cure”, 2012).

These and other measures have been put into place for the safety and well-being of the people and the planet.    Conclusion Crude oil helps to run the world, but it can be very damaging to the health and safety of humans and the environment if a spill occurs. While the Exxon Valdez did not result in the direct death of any human life, the area’s fisheries and wildlife were directly damaged by the crude oil that was poured into the Prince William Sound from the cargo holds which has an indirect result on those individuals that live in this area.

Out of this disaster have come new rules and regulations to help maintain the health and safety standards imposed on oil companies that use large tankers to transport their oil throughout the world.