1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill notes
1989 Exxon Valdez spill
Causes
Exxon Shipping Company failed to supervise the master and provide a rested and sufficient crew for Exxon Valdez. The National Transportation Shipping Board found this was widespread throughout the industry, prompting a safety recommendation to Exxon and to the industry.
The third mate failed to properly manoeuvre 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 boats on course via radar.
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. However, as the senior officer, he was in command of the ship even though he was asleep in his bunk. In light of the other findings, investigative reporter Greg Palast stated in 2008, "Forget the drunken skipper fable. As to Captain Joe Hazelwood, he was below decks, sleeping off his bender. At the helm, the third mate never would have collided with Bligh Reef had he looked at his RAYCAS radar. But the radar was not turned on. In fact, the tanker's radar was left broken and disabled for more than a year before the disaster, and Exxon management knew it. It was [in Exxon's view] just too expensive to fix and operate. Exxon blamed Captain Hazelwood for the grounding of the tanker
Tanker crews were not told that the previous practice of the Coast Guard tracking ships out to Bligh Reef had ceased.
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
The 1989 tanker crew was half the size of the 1977 crew, worked 12–14 hour shifts,
Causes
Exxon Shipping Company failed to supervise the master and provide a rested and sufficient crew for Exxon Valdez. The National Transportation Shipping Board found this was widespread throughout the industry, prompting a safety recommendation to Exxon and to the industry.
The third mate failed to properly manoeuvre 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 boats on course via radar.
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. However, as the senior officer, he was in command of the ship even though he was asleep in his bunk. In light of the other findings, investigative reporter Greg Palast stated in 2008, "Forget the drunken skipper fable. As to Captain Joe Hazelwood, he was below decks, sleeping off his bender. At the helm, the third mate never would have collided with Bligh Reef had he looked at his RAYCAS radar. But the radar was not turned on. In fact, the tanker's radar was left broken and disabled for more than a year before the disaster, and Exxon management knew it. It was [in Exxon's view] just too expensive to fix and operate. Exxon blamed Captain Hazelwood for the grounding of the tanker
Tanker crews were not told that the previous practice of the Coast Guard tracking ships out to Bligh Reef had ceased.
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
The 1989 tanker crew was half the size of the 1977 crew, worked 12–14 hour shifts,