This Ship Cost $2.5 Billion in 30 Minutes

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[@waterlinestories]

Thanks for watching. If you enjoyed this video and would like to watch more videos from this channel without any ads, consider joining our Patreon. The link is in the description. You can join for free or select a membership with benefits ranging from ad free videos through to early access and live q and a calls. I look forward to meeting you there. www.patreon.com/WaterlineStories

[@aerotube7291]

Always enjoy your vids

[@waterlinestories]

@aerotube7291 Thanks, I really appreciate that

[@JohnSchofield-j4i]

And that, men of the sea, is why you are only permitted 2 beers a day. Random drug tests and breathalyzing, normal. In the day, you never realisedsome of your shipmates drank until you saw them sober. ;-)

[@bimfred]

great synopsis again but I always wish there were graphics that could match your descriptions. The clips you show are almost more distracting than if there were none at all! Find someone who can do cheap graphics and you've got a winner

[@waterlinestories]

@bimfred it’s a constant battle to find the most appropriate images which often don’t exist and showing something so you don’t have to look at my ugly mug all the time.

[@jonathansmyth3064]

I was a kid when this happened. My dad was stationed USCG Valdez. I was 6. He was the storekeeper. I remember going down the harbor and seeing the dead wildlife everywhere. It was one of the saddest events I have ever seen. We weren't allowed to help with the cleaning of animals since I was 6 and my brother was 7. My mother did the grueling task of cleaning birds. She would come home and cry. I never knew the whole story till now. Thank you. I never knew how or why this happened. Once again keep up the amazing investigative research in making these videos.

[@waterlinestories]

I can’t imagine cleaning sea life all day and having to go back and do it all over again for months.

[@jonathansmyth3064]

@waterlinestories it wasn't good at all. It impacted our everyday lives for the remaining of our tour there. We left in 91 to go to Corpus Christie, Texas. She volunteered to do it again after deep water horizon happened. So that's two of the worst spills we have dealt with now.

[@waterlinestories]

My god so these oil spills happen wherever your family settles… 🫣

[@skorzalonsdale4426]

@@jonathansmyth3064 that sucks man. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with him but there’s a Scottish football (soccer) player called Kenny Dalglish who by total bad luck happened to be at 3 of the worst disasters in football, he was a fan at the Ibrox fire in Glasgow, a player at the wall collapse in Heysel in Belgium and a manager during the crush at Hillsborough in Sheffield. I’m not sure I could keep going to games after seeing that much horror.

[@tamisthewizard3199]

Hope your mom is ok. He mentioned all the extremely toxic chemicals used to ‘clean up’ the accident that did affect people.

[@WoWSoka]

as someone who spent 10 years of my life working for ExxonMobil i can confirm that the company still internally blames "a drunk sailor" for the Exxon Valdez when the reality of the situation is Exxon had very shady company practices, pushed crews too hard, demanded too much, and cut too many corners. something was bound to break and this was the result.

[@michaelrice500]

They also promised to have spill response equipment ready 24/7/365 when they built the terminal. When the Valdez hit the reef, most of it had been let go or unmaintained and what they did have on hand was buried under the snow and took several days to dig out. The fishing fleet, who found ourselves suddenly out of a fishery, responded like they were giving away money. (They were, btw). I've had several pretty good offers to work for Exxon Shipping (or Veco) over the years, and would rather starve.

[@TexasBarnRats]

And that lead shady character was Frank Iarossi. After Exxon fired him, everywhere he went afterward, large maritime accidents followed him. It's amazing how most of these big accidents mostly stopped all the sudden once he retired.

[@Texaca]

... that's the mentality and culture of #PredatoryCapitalists, and it's infiltrated every level of Government in the U.S. 🇺🇸 ...and globally 🌎

[@MothKeeper]

從來沒有煮過沙子來做腳...但我看到人們用奶油鴨毛來搞笑...只是被告知天空很快就會結束。

[@AKUSUXs]

He wa cleared of the being intoxicated charge. However, I also thought that the captain had sleep apnea, or sleep deprivation was a contributing factor.

[@foximacentauri7891]

It is almost comical how ruthless exon, shell & other oil companies are. Using cheap but risky ship designs, lying about the contamination, delaying fines for so long that they’re worth just a fraction of what they should’ve been.

[@waterlinestories]

And hiking the prices to protect profits.

[@thefinalkayakboss]

And fox news has somehow managed to twist peoples minds up sufficiently that i hear its lobotomite viewers discuss exxon today as if they need our sympathy and support.

[@tamisthewizard3199]

If any of us had oil CEO money I bet we would do the same. edit: Jesus Christ all of you calling me a sociopath, I'm not trying to justify what they do; their businesses do massively harm the environment. I don't think they actively want to hurt the land, especially people, but I believe it's not difficult for them to look the other way when others take shortcuts especially when you aren't the one 'pulling the trigger' if you will from the comfort of an office.

[@waterlinestories]

Maybe. I’ll never know.

[@thatrandomchannel8589]

You have to remember when these ships were made. This was very early in engineering/shipyard tech. Now the ballast tanks are incorporated into double skin design. So the ship can be empty and they can fill the ballast tanks making a better ride in Rough weather.

[@Meipmeep]

I have friends who are still affected by this in Alaska, it’s shameful that people who were kids when it happened are still suffering the consequences

[@crissd8283]

Just curious how?

[@Meipmeep]

@@crissd8283 they still clean globs of oil off the beaches, the cannery on land was closed in favor of clean boats putting families out of work, the wildlife is still recovering…… it’s sad really.

[@vf12497439]

Little ironic that Joseph Hazelwood, the drunk captain of the Exon Valdez passed away from cancer in July 2022. A year ago at the age of 75. To be a captain on a ship and to get intoxicated is not a novel situation. It becomes a problem if your ship runs aground. People have a drink when they think they are safe to do so. I doubt he drank in the middle of the day. Sadly his reputation was destroyed because of a bad decision and a bad day.

[@bluewaters3100]

@@Meipmeep And like they mentioned at the end..many workers were contaminated by the chemicals used to disperse the oil and ended up with cancer and ill health. I can see how horrible this would be for the kids of these families.

[@MothKeeper]

從來沒有煮過沙子來做腳...但我看到人們用奶油鴨毛來搞笑...只是被告知天空很快就會結束。

[@willpugh8865]

I appreciate the effort you put into your videos , the illustrations, your narration , and neutral unbiased presentation of the facts are top notch keep up the great work

[@waterlinestories]

Thanks. I appreciate that.

[@kimmuckenfuss2284]

@@waterlinestories yes, I love the topics you cover. I have the same fascination with these tragedies you cover. Thanks for the quality you put into your work.

[@michaelrice500]

I was running a herring tender in Sitka when this happened - our next stop was PWS, then on to lower Cook Inlet and then Tokiak. The owner fired me and hired his brother-in-law to run the boat on a spill "cleanup" contract with the crooks at Veco which involved being tied to the dock in Seward most of the summer. I filed a claim for lost wages for that year and the next two based on what I made the year before. The fishery never really recovered. My $60k claim was reasonable, not padded and nowhere near what I probably could have made, and they literally appealed everything as long as possible, until finally finding a sympathetic judge. After nearly 20 years of waiting, I got . . . wait for it . . . $438.00. Not as bad as some people; many passed on, lost their boats, houses, etc. I have no beef with Joe, even though he was the captain and therefore responsible, but they kept him on even though they were aware of his problems with alcohol. The watch officer putting someone who didn't know port from starboard on the helm was probably not the best idea either. I honestly don't hate those guys, but corporate lawyers? Rot in hell, please after dying of syphilis!

[@waterlinestories]

Geez

[@pizzlerot2730]

Sounds about right for the US

[@rdallas81]

What a shame.

[@rdallas81]

And Ghomorah and aids and herpes.

[@evryhndlestakn]

Corporate lawyers? Not just them. The entire corporate structure. Utter scum.

[@ssenssel]

Even though I'm old enough to remember Exxon Valdez accident I never knew the details of it. So thanks again for another great video. 👏👏

[@waterlinestories]

👍🏻

[@jacekatalakis8316]

And in the early 90s, or mid 90s, the Unabomber took out someone who helped Exxon with their PR as well after this incident as well, and cited this as the reason why, IIRC

[@todd3285]

Yup !! He scared the crap out of alot of A-holes . I wonder what his thoughts would have been about these A-holes developing A.I. ??

[@DanielJohnson-ps4xv]

I’m in the petroleum transportation industry and have sailed in and out of Valdez multiple times to load and discharge to a tank farm. This incident has been the cause of many regulations. Double hulls are the requirement now for all tank ships and barges I’m aware of now. Multiple companies ran single hull vessels right up the the deadline . The oil companies will lobby hard for more relaxed regulations. I personally have no issue with being held to high standards on environmental safety.

[@edmctug8800]

Bingo ! OPA 90 came into Affect Double hull Tankers !

[@Ledmaster2]

Same here. There is no comparison to how things were done before the accident and how they are done now. Totally different worlds. But the risk remains and we must always be aware of it.

[@serapeach6252]

too bad y'all weren't held to the high standard before this fuster cluck.

[@daniellassander]

I find your reasoning strange, the oil companies lost a lot of money why would they want to return to running it as high risk with immense added cost in case of a disaster? The actual answer is a little bit more complex, this disaster was due to bad decisions by those in charge at the time, a double hull would also not have stopped the Exxon Valdez spill, it would had done nothing what so ever, as the gauges made by the contact were all well above 3 meters deep into the Exxon Valdez a double hull would had done nothing. Government rules doesnt do anything but they claim to protect us, while in reality all they do is make us poorer. Because we the consumers have to pay for that double hull in the end. Sure its less then a cent per gallon of petrol, but these things stack up. The question you have to ask yourself is this: does Exxon Valdez wants to make money or lose money. If you side on the lose money side then yes your reasoning works out, otherwise it doesnt. They lost a crap-ton of money from this disaster, do they want to keep on doing that? Then yes your reasoning works out. Otherwise it doesnt work out, they would have wanted to sell that oil and made a lot of money. They didnt want this accident to happen no more then we do, they wanted to make money so they wanted to sell the oil, what they got was a horrible disaster with extreme costs they had to pay.

[@jimreeves1954]

​@@daniellassanderagreed and shit happens, why do governments always benefit from the disaster, what do they do with the money from the astronomical fines, I can assure you it goes in one way or another into their own benefits and interests l

[@MegaReception1]

I worked at Petro Terminal de Panama where the Exxon Valdez was headed to offload it's crude. The captain of this tanker was a well known drinker, he always had a taxi waiting for him when his ship came in. Basically he'd tie up his boat and go out to town and come back just before sailing. So there you go. All that responsibility and doing that !

[@waterlinestories]

Like So many of the old salty seadogs

[@MrViki60]

hella based

[@bobbyrayofthefamilysmith24]

What's wrong with a little liqueur to wet the whistle?

[@bdickinson6751]

@@bobbyrayofthefamilysmith24 Really???

[@csn6234]

​@@bobbyrayofthefamilysmith24nothing at all, so long as it doesn't lead to one of the world's worst manmade ecological disasters ever.

[@difdaf436]

I genuinely love when a new video on your channel shows up on my feed.. your story telling skills and your knowledge on diving and all things around that topic make the videos so much more informative.. thanks for all the great content 👍

[@waterlinestories]

Thanks for saying so. I really appreciate that

[@MothKeeper]

從來沒有煮過沙子來做腳...但我看到人們用奶油鴨毛來搞笑...只是被告知天空很快就會結束。

[@BleachDemon99]

My mates dad had an old Post office van, the thing blew black smoke, leaked oil and the last 4 digits were 3 XON. we called it the Valdez 😂

[@jbusta8548]

Valdez is the gift that keeps on giving

[@ColonelSandersLite]

Don't worry. Kevin Costner blew it all up so it won't be bothering anybody anymore.

[@jimwright1148]

I worked on the repair of the Sea Empress in Belfast dry dock in 1996 or1997,it ran aground off the Welsh coast, it is amazing the damage Mother Nature can do to 1 inch steel! Was absolute carnage under the waterline most of the bow was gone(it was held in place by steel beams welded onto hull and onto plates on the dock floor!)inside the tanks huge beams crushed and looked like a Cadbury’s flake! The only reason they repaired it was the screw was not damaged.

[@ligmasack9038]

No, they repaired that vessel because it was CHEAPER TO REPAIR THAN BUILD A NEW ONE! Really calls into question your "Experience" when you can't even figure out the basic Economics behind those kinds of Decisions...

[@jimwright1148]

@@ligmasack9038 yes,the screw is very expensive.

[@aina7313]

This will be exciting. Thank you for the time you put in making these

[@waterlinestories]

My pleasure, Thanks watching

[@spencerkleiman5035]

Who tf comments before watching

[@The.Enmikelopedia]

To reference my comment from a couple vids ago… this is the perfect balance of causes/context, effects and aftermath for this type of video. Great video man, keep up the great work!!

[@waterlinestories]

Thanks I appreciate that 🤜🏻

[@bustabloodvessel5327]

Just for context the oil price in 2007 fluctuated between $72 a barrel and $99 a barrel which would mean that a single load on a ship like the Exxon Valdez would be worth between $105 million and $150 million. A $2.5 Billion settlement is a joke. It's on a par with a normal person getting a $50 fine for causing multiple deaths by dangerous driving.

[@zimmerman1031]

Infuriating. These companies are untouchable.

[@loginavoidence12]

thanks for the red arrow on the thumbnail i almost missed that tiny breech on the tanker hull

[@waterlinestories]

Just gotta be sure 🤣

[@ianpunter4486]

I was D.O.P. on the BBC/HBO movie version of the incident. Some of the footage in the Exxon Valdez bridge is taken from that movie. Sadly, we used 16mm film, and it really shows its age. The whole movie, starring Christopher Lloyd and John Heard, can be found on KZbin, albeit in 5 or 6 chunks.

[@robynpicknell7801]

Hi Waterline Stories. Have you considered making a video about the SAS Drakensberg and how it lost one of its anchors in False Bay and the story of how the finally found and recovered it. Or how about when a member of the Drakensberg crew went overboard one night while at sea and the search to find him(I don't think they did, if I remember correctly.). Thank you for all your hard work on these videos.

[@waterlinestories]

Hey. I can’t say I’m familiar with the lost anchor. Do you have a link to the story? A quick Google search doesn’t bring up anything. But I’m based in Germany so sometimes it doesn’t find the regional stories.

[@robynpicknell7801]

The anchor happened in the late 1990's, probably 1997 or 1998. Try searching for the "Cape Times" newspaper or the "False Bay Echo" local newspaper, I think they did a story about it. Damn, just tried looking for it and couldn't find it either, not change on the South African navy site. I clearly remember one of their ships lost an anchor in the late 1990's because I was in the navy at the time, but I was in a short base. It was either the SAS Drakensberg or the SAS Tafelberg. They were the 2 biggest ships we had back then and they both had a port and a starboard anchor. Once they recovered the anchor and chain, you could see which one had been sitting on the ocean floor for a few months as it was clearly very discolored compared to the other one. I am based in England now and have sadly lost touch with my former crew mates so no longer have any contacts in the navy either. I can't think of any other way to find the information. I am very sorry I can't help more.

[@stellaluna6421]

Really liked the labels showing which pictures were real and which were representative!

[@ixxxxxxx]

wow that line at the end. they paid off the lawsuit in 2 days, makes you think love the vids

[@waterlinestories]

Yep sometimes the perspectives are all skewed.

[@TTFerdinand]

When you pay less to your team of lawyers in 20 years than you would to the victims without appealing then it's all worth it. In the company's perspective. It's all about the money. It's like a glass ceiling of empathy: people who would have the decency to pay up if they mess up never rise to a position to be able to mess up that big in the first place.

[@carbonsx3]

@@waterlinestories I agree and I think the miniscule fines and minimal consequences for these companies is disgusting, but revenue is not profit. They could not pay off the fine with the revenue of two days. That being said they, without a doubt, should have been required to pay the full original amount in a timely manner.

[@gextreme2381]

​@@carbonsx3Agree... The profit that year was around 35 billion, roughly 18 biliion from oil. So, so yes, they got off easy. Could have easily afforded the original 5 billion. scumbags.

[@crystalm4324]

I remember this well from my childhood, the devastation was unprecedented and went far beyond Alaska. The far reaching effects of that spill will take centuries to recover from and dozens have been added since.

[@DOWNTOWN_AUDIO]

I love your channel man, honestly thought you were somebody else that i had already subbed to and then i realized after watching your vids for a while that i hadnt subscribed yet! Youve earned my viewership! Keep up the good work man!

[@s.sradon9782]

Can we take the moment to note how the captain sounds like he's on the brink of death by exhaustion.

[@Floydian4everr]

Been out on the town drinking

[@WootTootZoot]

The greed and hubris of that company, to this day, is nothing short of being massively stunning.

[@hansmater3343]

The last minute brought tears to my eyes. It's unbelievable how we let people who act like this run the entire world

[@ChadDidNothingWrong]

5:56 Cousins sounds like an awesome guy to work with!

[@waterlinestories]

He got you

[@deanedeane4318]

Thankyou for such a clear account of this shameful negligent disaster. And why am I not surprised at your last comment ? In the oil industry 2.5 billion is mere lunch money .........

[@watsisbuttndo829]

I remember working in a mechanical workshop here in australia not long after this event. We had a 44 gallon drum full of petrol in eye shot of the spot we used to have our morning lunch. It had a sticker on it that read "Exxon, caring for the environment"

[@aceous99]

Catchey slogan to trick the plebs

[@tedthoman6580]

Saw quite a few bumper-stickers after this tragedy that said "Exxon cleans Up" over a field of $$$$ and skull-and-cross-bones....

[@raymaharaj4502]

You are a very good storyteller my friend!

[@lewis7315]

i helped to build, then years later to repair her in San Diego. Her and her sister ships were not cheaply built. They were built according to the laws at the time. She was later resold and carried oil under a foreign flag for years... Two of her sister ships are now the US Navy's hospital ships Comfort and Mercy. Lets not exaggerate things here... the oil spill happened because a crewman missed a turn in an inland waterway channel. All the world"s oil tankers at that time were built just like she was. Pretty much only military ships had double hulls at that time..

[@Morpheus187]

I was in the Navy in those days I saw the Valdez right next to the Mercy.😂1986

[@calebbroday]

The third mates cousins had me all confused for a second. I was like why can't they say his name?

[@Shipfixer]

I was there. I worked the spill on a fishing vessel that was put into service as a logistics vessel. I remember going into town in Valdez and seeing many stacks of one inch marine grade plywood being cut down the middle with chainsaws and also many Zodiacs (inflatable skiffs) with brand new outboard motors on them taken out and sunk. This was all done by the VECO Corporation who was in charge of the clean up. I later heard they did it for the write-off and so no one else could use it. They got rich on this one, along with a lot of others.

[@justinr9784]

Fantastic work keep it up! I've binged your entire channel!

[@waterlinestories]

🤜🏻 thanks will do

[@DawidUliczny-ro7eo]

I was a child when this happened but never forgot the harrowing pictures of wild life caked in black tar. I didn't even probably know what oil was but even to 5 year old it was evident that something went VERY wrong.

[@waterlinestories]

Yes incredibly sad to think of all the innocent lives that are destroyed through no fault of their own.

[@thewhitefalcon8539]

But they never told you you caused this, did they? Every time you drive the car to school, a bird gets drowned in tar. That's the thing. We all don't think we caused this.

[@DawidUliczny-ro7eo]

@@thewhitefalcon8539 Sure, buddy. You feeling ok?

[@darkySp]

@@thewhitefalcon8539 You cannot blame the consumer for the ignorance of the producers. People depend on cars. In some places, less so that other. But we NEED biofuels, we simply can't transition to renewables yet. When I drive my car, I cause emissions. Small emissions in the grand scheme of things. I did not sink a whole tanker worth of crude oil into open waters. Exxon did that, not me.

[@thewhitefalcon8539]

@@darkySp Every time you vote for car-dependency policies you vote for tankers of crude oil sunk in open waters.

[@Z24BL2]

As long as criminals will stay alive and living very well, it will not change.

[@-Eternal-Damnation-]

I absolutely love your videos mate. Even when the subject matter is as bleak as this is

[@waterlinestories]

Thanks I appreciate that

[@bekaemery2918]

The amount of wildlife that died shocked me. Idk why i hadnt thought about that massive impact it would have. When you were talking about the single hulled ship I thought it was a stupid idea. Turns out it is

[@B1UK]

Mate I been here since day 1 every video gets liked straight away before even watching I could sit hours watching please keep doing what you’re doing I sit watching on my tv chilling. Never give you the praise you deserve it’s such a niche that you’ve nailed.

[@waterlinestories]

Thanks. I’d say welcome aboard but sounds like you’ve been stowaway since the beginning. I really appreciate you being on this journey with me. 👌🏻

[@B1UK]

@@waterlinestories anytime mate keep at it. Appreciate the effort put in at the beginning seems like it’s picking up and there’s plenty of content at the minute. Look after yourself 👍🏽

[@jeanninerussell2672]

There also was rough weather, a marker buoy was malfunctioning, and the Coast Guard failed to monitor and communicate ships actual progress as it was deviating. Yes, strategies were in place, but a series of failures led to the disaster. The captain and crew were also exhausted.from 14:43 being on duty during the 24 hour loading of the ship in very cold, rough weather.

[@jackhaypenny5830]

And now... all these years later..the earth has healed itself...

[@PirateZ1]

The images of the animals at the end are haunting. We destroy so much of nature chasing profits with diminishing returns

[@dominickvaldez7719]

Wow... Amazing.... Proud family Valdez... I discover

[@fatovamingus]

All that was missing is " Iceberg right ahead!" and "close the watertight doors".

[@tamonettX500]

Smell ice, do ya??

[@eastcoast16s]

The last line in this says it all.

[@Strype13]

If a guy has had multiple DUIs for drinking and driving to the point where his license has been revoked (after being suspended multiple times), why the hell would he be trusted to captain a massive oil tanker? If someone can't control their alcohol addiction enough to maintain a driver's license, they most definitely shouldn't have full control and/or be in charge of a humongous ocean liner. That's obviously a catastrophe waiting to happen.

[@BGone-mb7wz]

It needs to be viewed through 'eyes of the time's - there was no internet, or way to make those connections without specifically looking for such information.

[@Strangelove657]

Remember stuff like this when the powers that be try and say common people producing to much pollution

[@ludicambience]

It would help a lot of this video contained more images of the actual situation that is described. Actual time of events not only spoken, but visible in the video would make it more easy to watch.

[@andyroubik5760]

My wife and I worked on the cleanup. It was extremely disheartening. The Spill happened at extremely high tide so most of the oil was deposited beyond the reach of a typical tide. The mid and lower tide zones we're relatively unaffected. They had us using boiling hot sea water to wash the oil from the highest tide zone down through the varying tide levels where the oil would be collected on the water surface through the use of booms and suction hoses. The result in many areas was that the whole tidal Zone destroyed. Animals killed by the oil we're sometimes left on the beach only to be eaten by other wildlife which subsequently died too. It seemed to us that Exxon was simply spending as much money as they could on the cleanup to be able to report to the American people on how much they spent so that they would be forgiven by the public. I definitely felt like I was taking Blood Money. The whole thing is and was very depressing!

[@andredeketeleastutecomplex]

You wanted capitalism, you got capitalism. Your votes at work.

[@Dirk80241]

Such a terrible disaster! Not only the damage caused to the coastal wildlife, but also the health injuries to the cleanup crews caused by the chemicals, and on top of that, making the coastal communities wait 20 years for compensation. This is shameful.

[@charliekuhns2832]

I was up there when I was in the Navy to help with the clean up effort

[@WasNotWas999]

An example of how most businesses put profit before anything else...

[@FanfictionWoes]

You are criminally underrated ❤️

[@krzaku1983]

Big corporations do what they want.

[@Oo-Pitbull-oO]

I was 5 years old when the Chernobyl reactor melted down, and 8 when the Exxon Valdez disaster happened. I remember them both well.

[@YouTubeIsCriminal]

Bud Light probably beat that 30 minutes and $2.5B. 😂

[@432b86ed]

In case you don't catch the last 5 seconds of this video. Exxon fought the already reduced 2.5 Billion judgement against them for the locals - for 20 years. Exxon brings in 2.5 Billion in revenue, in just 2 days.

[@Brock_Landers]

I was about 7 or 8 years old when the Exxon Valdez struck Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound. I distinctly remember seeing the pictures and multiple videos of the wildlife in the area covered in crude oil and multiple people doing their best to clean them up. I work in the oilfield, and even I am absolutely appalled by this 100% preventable disaster. There is absolutely NO reason why the tanker ships operating anywhere near Alaska shouldn't have had a double bottom. Exxon was 199% liable in this case. You can have the absolute best trained and experienced officers and crew in the world, but PEOPLE make mistakes and if they're operating a single hull vessel with an extremely deep draught at night in an area that's known for it's reefs, thats a recipe for disaster right then and there. Exxon employees and their ship spilled the oil, the oil affected every lifeform in the area, so why shouldn't they be liable? Fun fact, even the Titanic which sailed it's ill-fated maiden voyage in April of 1912 had a double bottom...and all it hauled was passengers and cargo.

[@Nturner822]

Love your content mate

[@waterlinestories]

🤜🏻

[@serapeach6252]

fun info; given the maximium sentencing for animal cruelty in new jersey (where exxon is incorporated) they'd be facing up to 126,400 years in prison. [maximum sentencing seems to be up to six months in the state of new jersey but is common enough place that in some cases only a fine is faced for the crime. the math is the estimate of the amount of sea birds and otters that died due to the spill]

[@paulnevins8267]

If you look at actual drawings of the large tankers, for trim & stability reasons you might find ships (single or double hull) had port & starboard or port & center & starboard tanks. There would be multiple partitions going down the length of the vessel. Also helpful in the event of a leak or other damage to limit how much would be lost. Many of the smaller tankers 200,000 to 300,000 Bbls sizes of the previous generation of single hulls would be 1 to 11 in P/C/S configuration then 12 as P/S as "slop tanks". Lots of tanks when filling/unloading along with gauges & samples. There might be a video, if you search around a bit talking about the basis for ship designs over the decades (shipyard perspective). It also touched on the double bottom and "split level" tanks (upper vs lower tanks and some mixed - large centre tanks as "odd number" then P/S on the "even number" tanks).

[@Ganiscol]

You can see that in this video at 10:03

[@GlennPowell-ls3lg]

I remember the Valdez accident.I also remember the Amaco cadiz accident in the 70,s and there was the famous Torrey Cannyon oil accident in the 60,s off the coast of Cornwall in the uk.The sea is ruthless and a cruel mistress.

[@johnduheaume6650]

Whatever lessons are learnt seem to be soon forgotten.

[@GlennPowell-ls3lg]

@@johnduheaume6650 Because oil is the biggest currency in the world.

[@bdjm8595]

I remember this well, it was a sad situation that could have been avoided!!!

[@SimonWallwork]

Really interesting channel. Thanks.

[@waterlinestories]

👍🏻 Thanks

[@pyroarchy]

they always build something and swear it won't break or fail and leak! from the titanic to the oil pipeline's going across our most precious places, and train-cars too! humans will never learn until it is too late and i feel horrible for the future generations that are going to end up with our mess :-(

[@MUSKLR]

Great video! Just an FYI, in Alaska, the town named Valdez and ship name is pronounced “val-deez”, unlike the Hispanic pronunciation “val-dez”.

[@piffdaddy420]

i remember this happenin this was HUGE news back in the 90s. I was a kid when this happened.

[@valiantsfelinesmccarty6678]

A friend of my husband's did the insurance adjusting against Exxon on this. He said it was horrible. That he knew Exxon was never going to pay for what they done. It was just a documentation he said for the government to squeeze them for a fine that the people would never see. My husband went up and visit him he had moved to Alaska when he was young and felt it was his home he now receives his check for living there more than 20 years.

[@pilotactor777]

One of the best KZbin channels out there. And a SAFA!

[@waterlinestories]

🤣 thanks

[@schwarzerritter5724]

Correct, six thousand hulls.

[@deathbycheese850]

It sounds like the whole thing was just one huge clusterf*ck! The transmission, to let authorities know they had struck the reef, and were leaking oil, sounded like the guy was half asleep, but he was actually intoxicated. He would probably be sent to prison if it were now.

[@Bambihunter1971]

2.5 billion settlement that took 20 years, and they make that much money in 2 days. That says a lot about the lack of integrity or compassion.

[@frankmartin8471]

Exxon convinced the authorities that escort vessels were no longer needed to navigate past Bligh Reef. Then Hazelwood had a few too many, there was no escort tug with the outward bound tanker, and the rest is history. All of this, exactly as it happened, was predicted in the 1970s.

[@donovanreimer2324]

Good video, good pacing.

[@pierre-richard6779]

Your good !

[@aac993]

You're = You are.

[@daleslover2771]

Excellent reporting on this accident, it took 2 decades for restitution, for the clean up crews,it makes me wonder how many persons were effective by this? And how many passed away. May I suggest that you do a deep research report on the 73/74 gas crunch, where gas was double in a year.I remember back in 1972 gas was going for 21 cents a gal at most gas stations, then in 74 it's was up to 60 cents a gal. I don't think 1 out of 10,000 drivers know what really happened. Now you look at the price, what's the real truth, can you find it? It will be one outstanding video.

[@antoniograncino3506]

In San Francisco, there are two adjacent streets: Hazelwood and Valdez. They cross Monterey Blvd in the Monterey Heights area. Eerie coincidence, eh wot ?

[@Floydian4everr]

My hometown of 48 years and didn't know that until just now. The views and homes on Monterrey are beautiful

[@DanH34]

"We're sorry."

[@armandospence-y3b]

Классный канал, от подачи не устаёшь

[@timothyhays1817]

My best friend was in the USCGR and was activated and sent to Valdez. He stood guard over beach clean up personnel. He was armed with a can of bear spray the size of a fire extinguisher. He said when he landed most of the oil hand already soaked down in the sand.

[@oldodger]

This is why I have NOT BOUGHT any products from EXXON or ESSO since 1989.

[@Robert08010]

The very idea that a company could behave this irresponsibly... and then fight paying restitution for 20 years? Its disgusting. At a certain point, the government should step in and say "Ok, You're done." and just end it for gross mismanagement and ecological negligence.

[@owenjamesk]

Always look forward to your videos

[@waterlinestories]

🤜🏻

[@Fan_nec]

Reminder these are the same companies that barely get taxed at all and make billions already

[@benhuston310]

0:06 "Yerrrrs of devastation"

[@Siouxperman]

Go green for our future as well as our children’s future.

[@sabagecabage7828]

20 years to pay up but 2 days to make the money? That disgusting

[@margarita8442]

captain was drunk as

[@waterlinestories]

🦨

[@Catladybug]

It really sad when this happens and company are not punished more...our world is sadly being destroyed by consumers sadly but strict regulations etc could fix that or whatever ells...

[@ChadDidNothingWrong]

This only happens because of the obsession with punishment that people like you have. Commercial aviation and the NTSB figured this out literally decades ago. You can put your focus on being vindictive, or on understanding what happened and tactfully preventing it....but you can't do both. If you don't understand why that is the case, then go read about aviation safety.

[@alexshank1414]

Fighting against a 5 billion dollar lawsuit for 20 years, to have it reduced to 2.5 billion. Which is what Exxon made in two days. Extremely shady company.

[@kjolskistudios]

Wow, they made the ship from Waterworld into a real thing!?

[@TheMomseloc]

THANK GAWD FOR DAWN DISHWASHING LIQUID

[@vincentgrinn2665]

im glad you brought up how dispersants are entirely just a cover up but man the way fines like this are handled is so crap, letting them put off the payment for 20 years and the fine is just pennies to them as always they should have had their entire business halted until they paid

[@informitas0117]

The responsible should have life in prison. And the company dissolved.

[@williammains2525]

How many of you folks remember this? I remember this like it was yesterday....bad deal

[@stormtrooper7177]

I personally have a jar that contains oil from the Exxon spill. I dug the oil out of a beach in 2008.