BP Oil Spill VS. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

863 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Oil spill issues

Most people believe that one man-made natural disaster would teach us to be better, but we have learned that history repeats itself. The Exxon Valdez oil spill (in 1989) and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, or BP oil spill, (in 2010) were both devastating oil spills that shocked the nation. The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred due to a tanker grounding. The BP oil spill was caused by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform. These two oil spills were both disasters and had greater effects in certain categories. In this essay, I will be comparing the cause of both oil spills, the damage/effect of both oil spills, and the cleanup of each oil spill. The Exxon Valdez and the BP oil spill were caused by different disasters but had just as great of effects. On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil spill began to reek havoc on the Pacific Ocean. The oil tanker, Exxon Valdez, left from Valdez, Alaska and was headed for Los Angeles, California. The tanker ran aground on Bligh Reef in Alaska. After six hours of being grounded, the Exxon Valdez spilled about 10.9 million gallons of oil (53 million gallons aboard). The BP oil spill occurred a little differently. On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil platform exploded and caused the largest marine oil spill in history. The platform sank about 5,000 feet underwater. The BP oil spill poured 4.2 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. These oil spills are largely compared but were cause by completely different events. They had similar effects/damage, however. The Exxon Valdez was the largest offshore oil spill in the U.S. until the BP oil spill. The Exxon Valdez spill released over 10 million gallons of oil into the Pacific Ocean. The spill effected over 1,100 ... ... middle of paper ... ...on oil spill. 5 Dec. 2010. The Encyclopedia of Earth. 11 Jan. 2014 . Encyclopedia Britannica. "Britannica School." Britannica School. 12 Jan. 2014 . EPA. "Exxon Valdez." EPA. 2010. Environmental Protection Agency. 10 Jan. 2014 . Graham, Sarah. "Environmental Effects of Exxon Valdez Spill Still Being Felt: Scientific American." Environmental Effects of Exxon Valdez Spill Still Being Felt: Scientific American. 19 Dec. 2003. Scientific American. 11 Jan. 2014 . Saundry, Peter. "Exxon Valdez oil spill." Exxon Valdez oil spill. 9 June 2010. The Encyclopedia of Earth. 10 Jan. 2014 .

Show More
Related

  • BP Oil Spill

    966 Words  | 2 Pages

    April 20, 2010, a tragic disaster struck the Gulf Coast. British Petroleum deepwater Horizon oil rig cracked from three places and raw oil leaking into the sea. .it was considered that over 60,000 barrels of oil a day are mixing with Gulf water and Oil spread over 70 miles to 130 miles into the sea and can be seen from space.

    Read More

  • The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: News Media Fantasy versus Reality

    3471 Words  | 7 Pages

    On March 27, 1989 the supertanker Exxon Valdez ran ashore in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling approximately 11 million gallons of crude oil. The oil soon spread into the waters of south-central Alaska from the sound of Kodiak Island to the Kenai Peninsula (refer to Figure 1 for a map of the area). Almost immediately, news media arrived at the site reporting images of oil-stained beaches and wildlife to the masses. News coverage centered around the environmental devastation which would result from the spill. The coverage, for the most part, reinforced stereotypes of Alaska, as a pristine wilderness and Exxon as a greedy, irresponsible oil company. These images stressed the negative consequences of the spills and ignored ...

    Read More

  • Exxon Valdez: The Disasters

    724 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the early hours of March 24th, 1989 the oil tanker Exxon Valdez struck Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling more than 11 million gallons of crude oil.This accident was devastating for the environment and the eco-systems surrounding the incident. There were many parts leading up to this disaster which made it sound almost inevitable to occur. With it being called a man-made accident because of the captain being intoxicated during the event, it feels like there was more behind the picture. There are a lot of players in this accident that can be blamed, but what about the corporation Exxon itself.

    Read More

  • Overview of Green Washing Perpetrated by BP

    2378 Words  | 5 Pages

    Smith Jr., Lawrence C., L. Murphy Smith, and Paul A. Ashcroft. "Analysis Of Environmental And Economic Damages From British Petroleum's Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill." Albany Law Review 74.1 (2011): 563-585.Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.

    Read More

  • The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

    1467 Words  | 3 Pages

    British Petroleum (“BP”) is the company that is being blamed for the incident. Employing 80,000 people, BP is an international oil company that puts different technology to use for finding oil and gas under the Earth’s surface. One of the oilrigs, Deepwater Horizon has drilled 35,000 ft. making it to be the deepest drilling of oil and gas (Walsh). Deepwater Horizon was drilling in the Gulf of Mexico about 52 miles southeast of Venice on Louisiana's tip. After the explosion, helicopters searched for 11 crewmembers that reported missing. 17 people were injured (BP Internal Investigation Team). A day later, the rig was found upside down (BP Oil Spill Timeline). The cost to clean up the damage is approximately $760 million (Walsh).

    Read More

  • Case Study: The Gulf Coast and the BP Oil Spill

    1522 Words  | 4 Pages

    On April 20, 2010, a tragic disaster hit the Gulf Coast. British Petroleum’s (BP) Deepwater Horizon rig exploded spewing crude oil into the ocean from the three major cracks in the rig. It rivaled the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill within days of explod...

    Read More

  • White Collar Crime and Corporate Crime

    1523 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Whole Truth Prince William Sound, Alaska (2008) The Whole Truth: History of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. Available from: http://www.wholetruth.net/history.htm [Accessed11Feburary 2014]

    Read More

  • Ethical Concerns Regarding the BP Texas City Oil Refinery Explosion

    4263 Words  | 9 Pages

    BP was founded in 1908 under the name Anglo-Persian Oil Company. They changed their name to British Petroleum in 1954 and merged with Amoco in 1998. (BP Public Website, 2010) “The Texas City Refinery is BP’s largest and most complex oil refinery... It was owned and operated by Amoco prior to the merger of BP and Amoco.” (Michael P. Broadribb, 2006) Throughout their history, there have been a number of accidents that have been caused by negligence and disregard of safety precautions. Unfortunately many lives have been cut short or seriously injured as a result. My research will focus on the 2005 Texas City Oil Refinery Explosion. I will attempt to look into the ethical implications that surrounded this disaster before and after the event and suggest what BP could have done to prevent the incident then and in the future.

    Read More

  • The Clean Water Act Of 1977

    744 Words  | 2 Pages

    Clean water involves seclusion of lakes and hoping the acid rain does not reach these pure water supplies. Another major source of contaminating clean water are oil spills and how destructively they blanket the shoreline they come in contact with. Although offshore drilling expeditions contribute some to the devastating outcome, oil tankers are the superior enemies toward the water. One estimate is that for every one million tons of petroleum shipped one ton is spilled. The largest super tanker spill was in 1979 when 3.3 million barrels was spilled off the coast of France. The largest in the United States was the Exxon Valdez in the gulf of Alaska. On the night of March 24, 1989 the 987 foot Exxon Valdez ran aground in the gulf of Alaska spilling 260,000 barrels of oil. With the help of the forceful winds, the slick soon covered about 1,100 miles of shoreline, including many islands in the sound.

    Read More

  • The Hazards of Ocean Pollution

    798 Words  | 2 Pages

    Because it is the most highly publicized of the different forms of ocean pollution, oil spills, oil leakages, and general oil contamination are something that we all seem to be aware of. Since the Exxon Valdez incident, the American public in particular has been more and more critical of oil companies.Each year, over 700 million gallons of oil end up in the ocean. Contrary to what you may have thought, most oil pollution doesn't come from tanker accidents. In fact, tanker accidents account for less than 90 million of the g...

    Read More

  • Oil Spill Response

    5767 Words  | 12 Pages

    Oil spills, no matter large or small, have long been of concern to pollution control authorities in this country. Due to its destructive nature, once an area has been contaminated by oil, the whole character of the environment is changed. When it has encountered something solid to cling to, whether it be a beach, a rock, the feathers of a duck or gull, or a bather’s hair, it does not readily let go (Stanley, 1969). By its nature o...

    Read More

  • The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

    1202 Words  | 3 Pages

    On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, located in the Gulf of Mexico exploded killing 11 workers and injuring 17. The oil rig sank a day-and-a-half later. The spill was referred to as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, BP oil spill, Gulf of Mexico oil spill, and BP oil disaster. It was first said that little oil had actually leaked into the ocean but a little over a month later the estimate was 12,000-19,000 barrels of crude oil being leaked per day. Many attempts were made to stop the leak but all failed until they capped the leak on July 15, 2010, and on September 19 the federal government declared the well “effectively dead.” In the three months that it took to finally put a stop the leak, 4.9 million barrels of oil were released into the ocean. The spill caused considerable damage to marine and wildlife habitats and the Gulf’s fishing and tourism industries. The White House energy advisor, Carol Browner, goes as far to say that the Deepwater oil spill is the “worst environmental disaster the US has faced.”

    Read More

  • An Assessment of BP's Risk Management Issues and Poor Response to the Oil Spill

    3188 Words  | 7 Pages

    On the summer of 2010, the petroleum industry was shaken by one of the largest disasters in history known as the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. This resulted in the killing of eleven people, injuring of seventeen and an immeasurable damage to the ocean and the surrounding communities. BP had to immediately respond to the crisis and handle their financial and reputational risks.

    Read More

  • The Tragedy Of Exxon Valdez

    223 Words  | 1 Pages

    On March 24, 1989 the Exxon Valdez oil spill occured. This was a huge tragedy that impacted many people negatively because it resulted in conflict related to economics. This picture shows one of the ways that it impacted people economically (Britannica). It shows a crew of people who are using hoses to clean all of the oil off of the rocks on an Alaskan beach. This affects people economically because in order to get these resources to clean up the oil spill it ended up costing 1.8 billion dollars to accomplish (Kitch). People who were affected by it were people who had relatives or acquaintances on the ship, people who were involved in the aftermath such as cleaning up the oil, and people who were on the ship during the spill. The other perspectives

    Read More

  • Strategic Analysis Of The BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

    1094 Words  | 3 Pages

    The BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill accident of April 20th 2010 that caused a gas release followed by the explosion that took place causing hydro carbons to leak into the Gulf of Mexico posed a lot of strategic implications in the competence, capabilities, internal resources and Corporate Social Responsibility of BP. The implications of the Oil Spill underscores the Icarus paradox, which holds that the very capabilities that give an organization its source of competitive advantage can become constraining with changes to the external context. Teece (2009) emphasised that dynamic capabilities revolve around three generic types namely: Sensing (ability to scan, search and explore the external

    Read More

More about BP Oil Spill VS. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

Open Document