Exxon Valdez Oil Spill - Essay Example

The oil spill incident of Exxon Valdez oil tanker in the year 1989 had occurred in the Alaska. The disaster occurred when the tanker had struck the Bligh Reef in the Prince William Sound in Alaska. The location being a remote one and the intensity of the disaster being huge, the government had to encounter difficulties in reaching at the location for the cleanup process. Only helicopters and boats could reach the location. It was in the Prince William Sound’s region and the fishing industry in the area was significantly affected along with the food chain in the region, as well as birds and other sea species.

The effects were severely obtained in species like the harbor porpoises and sea lions, and several varieties of whales, and the lives of different migratory birds came under danger (Exxon Valdez, 2011). It could be realized that Exxon was not prepared for such a massive disaster. Thus after the occurrence of the incident, the local coast Marine Safety Office (MSO) as well as the contingency plan for Prince William Sound had been found to take the initiatives in the rescue and cleanup process with much difficulties.

The planning of the federal government and the preparedness were considered under the responsibilities of the National Response Team (NRT) that include 14 agencies of the federal department. As soon as the incident was noted, the MSO and other immediate authorities took charge to put a stop to the traffic at the port of Valdez. The cleanup process was undertaken by the Alyeska and their activities had been initiative within 45 minutes of the notification of the spillage (Skinner & Reilly, 5-12).

The most important concern considered was the spillage to be stopped from spreading in the sea. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had taken charge of identifying the areas that were more vulnerable to the