On March 24, 1989, the tanker Exxon Valdez, en route from Valdez, Alaska to Los Angeles, California, ran aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The vessel was traveling outside normal shipping lanes in an attempt to avoid ice. Within six hours of the grounding, the Exxon Valdez spilled approximately 10.9 million gallons of its 53 million gallon cargo of Prudhoe Bay Crude. Eight of the eleven tanks on board were damaged. The oil would eventually impact over 1,100 miles of non-continuous coastline in Alaska, making the Exxon Valdez the largest oil spill to date in U.S. waters. The response to the Exxon Valdez involved more personnel and equipment over a longer period of time than did any other spill in U.S. history. Logistical problems in providing fuel, meals, berthing, response equipment, waste management and other resources were one of the largest challenges to response management. At the height of the response, more than 11,000 personnel, 1,400 vessels and 85 aircraft were involved in the cleanup. Shoreline cleanup began in April of 1989 and continued until September of 1989 for the first year of the response. The response effort continued in 1990 and 1991 with cleanup in the summer months, and limited shoreline monitoring in the winter months. Fate and effects monitoring by state and Federal agencies are ongoing. USCG district 17. Keyword: Inipol, Customblen, skimmer, sorbent belt skimmer, rope mops, sorbents, boom, pompoms, Corexit 7664, Corexit 9580, Corexit 9527, BP 1100X, International Bird Rescue and Research Center (IBRRC), Regional Response Team, fingerprinting, lightering, manual removal, vacuum truck, disposal, high-pressure hot water washing, high-pressure washing, low pressure washing, water-washing, remote response, side looking airborne radar (SLAR), steam generators, volunteers..

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Note: Documents are posted chronologically and early reports likely contain factual errors. These errors may be corrected in a later report.