 Tanker "Prestige" Sinks with 20.5 Million Gallons of Heavy Crude November 21, 2002
"We are fortunate in Alaska to have technical experts in spill response management, oil spill response and cleanup, shoreline impact assessment, and related areas that could assist you in the response effort," Knowles wrote. He named Commissioner Michele Brown of the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) as Alaska's lead contact for coordinating Alaska's resources, should Spain take up the state's offer of assistance. "As you may know, the State of Alaska experienced a catastrophic oil spill in 1989 when the tanker Exxon Valdez went aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound," wrote Knowles. "The spill had widespread impacts on a formerly pristine marine environment. Hundreds of miles of shoreline were oiled and the cleanup effort lasted several years. Spills of this size are potentially devastating and demand prompt, effective and coordinated response efforts." Given its experience with response to significant oil spills, the state typically offers assistance to others facing the same situation. According to DEC, the state has offered help to five foreign entities in recent years (England, Taiwan, Spain, South Africa and Ecuador). England and Taiwan accepted the state's offer. The Bahamian-flagged tanker Prestige, which sprang a leak during a storm on November 13, split in half Tuesday morning amid salvage operations about 130 miles off Spain's Atlantic coast. The stern sank quickly with little seepage of fuel from its tanks, salvage officials said. The bow sank later in the day, according to Spanish authorities. The
amount of oil aboard the Prestige is about twice that lost during
the Exxon Valdez spill. Salvage officials said the ocean where
the ship sank is about 11,800 feet deep and the fuel in the tanks
should congeal at the temperatures at that depth, minimizing
further damage.
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