Exxon Valdez (above) was a oil tanker that ran aground on the Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound spilling hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude oil in Alaska, that
resulted in the second largest oil spill in U.S. history. The vessel,owned by the
former Exxon Shipping Company and captained by Joseph Hazelwood, was bound
for Long Beach, California. The spill is considered one of the most devastating
human-caused environmental disasters ever to occur at sea .Exxon Shipping Co.
was renamed Sea River Shipping Company and the Exxon Valdez was repaired and
renamed the Sea River Mediterranean and is used to haul oil across the Atlantic.The
ship is prohibited by law from returning to Prince William Sound. No human lives were
lost as a direct result of the disaster, though four deaths were associated with the
cleanup effort.

Ariel view of the Exxon Valdez and a portion of the oil spill  

  
A cleanup crew at work