Question

In terms of the volume of oil spilled and subsequent environmental damage, the wreck of the tanker Exxon Valdez was the worst tanker accident in history.

Answer 1

The statement was true at the time of the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989, but it is no longer accurate. Since then, there have been several other large oil spills, including the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, which is now considered the worst oil spill in U.S. history and one of the largest environmental disasters in world history. The Deepwater Horizon spill released an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over a period of 87 days, causing extensive damage to marine and wildlife habitats, as well as significant economic and social impacts on the communities that depend on the Gulf for their livelihoods.