Remembering the Exxon Valdez oil spill 30 years later

1989: Exxon Valdez tanker spill

Remembering the Exxon Valdez oil spill

Historic film footage of Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Clean-up on the 27th Anniversary of the Disaster. Shortly after midnight on March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez ran hard aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska. In total, some 10.8 million gallons of North Slope crude oil spilled from the stricken vessel. Approximately 1,300 miles of remote and wild shoreline were oiled. The timing of the spill, its widespread impact, and the abundance of wildlife in the region combined to make it an en