US-POLLUTION-SEA

Workers clean up oil the Valdez coasts on April 2, 1989 after Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker owned by Exxon Shipping Company that was bound for Long Beach, California struck Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef, 1.5 mi (2.4 km) west of Tatitlek, Alaska and spilled 10.8 million US gallons (257,000 bbl) (or 37,000 tonnes) of crude oil over the next few days. It is considered the worst oil spill worldwide in terms of damage to the environment. The Exxon Valdez spill is the second largest in U.S. waters, after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in terms of volume of oil released. (Photo by Christopher WILKINS / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTOPHER WILKINS/AFP via Getty Images)