Exxon Valdez Oil Spill | NOAA's Ocean Service Office of Response and Restoration

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Home | Image Galleries | Emergency Response

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

Photos taken after the tanker Exxon Valdez grounded on Bligh Reef in the upper part of Prince William Sound on March 24, 1989. The tanker was carrying approximately 53 million gallons of crude oil. Within a few days, it had spilled almost 11 million gallons of the oil into Prince William Sound.

Click on the image to return to the gallery

Refloated oil in shallows near shoreline. Some areas are boomed.

Exxon Valdez - sediment plumes and sheens

A brown sediment plume and sheens of refloated oil drift away from this oiled beach as it is cleaned by a team applying high-pressure, hot-water washing. Refloating of oil and release of sediment are often unavoidable consequences of shoreline cleanup that can cause additional environmental harm.

(08.25.04, unknown)

Related Pages on Our Site

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Overview of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Includes links to many related resources, including photo galleries.

Response to the Exxon Valdez Spill Within hours after the tanker Exxon Valdez spilled nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska's Prince William Sound on March 24, 1989, a team of NOAA OR&R scientists arrived on-scene.

Summary Points: 10 Years of Intertidal Monitoring After the Exxon Valdez Spill A short summary of the main findings of NOAA biologists studying the effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill on intertidal shorelines in Prince William Sound.