An oil-covered bird, from Prince William Sound, Alaska, April 1989. One of the many victims of the Exxon Valdez oil spill

The Exxon Valdez oil tanker spilt its cargo in 1989, causing massive damage to a large area off the coast of Alaska.

The tanker departed from Alaska’s Valdez oil terminal on 23rd March 1989 and hit a reef in the early hours of the next day. This began a chain of events that led to the crash, which still remain unclear to this day.

An estimated 11 million gallons of oil pumped from the ruptured vessel into the water and the spill area would eventually cover 460 square miles. Although there have been many other oil spills throughout the world, the Exxon Valdez slick occurred in remote waters, home to abundant and spectacular wildlife, and caused terrible damage to the area.

Thousands of animals were killed as a result of the spill, including approximately 250,000 seabirds and 2,800 sea otters. The clean-up cost roughly $2.1 billion and areas along the coastline nearest to the spill are still contaminated with oil below the surface today.