Causes

Captain Joe Hazelwood

"I smelled liquor on him on a number of occasions. I was asleep, and he was jumping up and down on his floor one evening screaming at me to come up and drink with him." - Bruce Amero, April 1989, "Suit Charges Captain was a Heavy Drinker," Anchorage Daily News.

Upon impact, Captain Hazelwood was asleep and intoxicated, with an invalid license from a DUI the prior fall. Former Exxon employee, Bruce Amero, sued Exxon for $2 million, claiming that Hazelwood had been abusive while drinking aboard ship. Exxon dismissed these allegations, letting Hazelwood operate the vessel.

Captain Has History of Drinking and Driving, 1989, The New York Times.

Joseph J. Hazelwood, 1989, Oges.

Joseph Hazelwood during His Arraignment on Fugitive Charges, n.d., CNN.

Miscommunication

Retiring for the night, Hazelwood left control to Third Mate, Gregory Cousins. Hazelwood altered the ship’s course to avoid icebergs without telling Cousins. Cousins steered the ship back to its original route, accidentally colliding with Bligh Reef.

Gregory Cousins, 1989, Shutterstock.

Mismanagement

People quickly blamed Hazelwood and Cousins for the incident. However, the Exxon Company was at fault for being negligent in supervision. The vessel was understaffed, resulting in a sleep-deprived crew. The ship’s radar had not been working for over a year. Moreover, Exxon claimed ignorance of Hazelwood’s license suspensions.

Coast Guard

"We don't have radar coverage throughout Prince William Sound. We have no radio communications throughout the sound and beyond." - Commander Steven McCall, 1990, In the Wake of the Exxon Valdez.

The Coast Guard was remiss in monitoring shipping traffic. They had discontinued regularly plotting tankers out to Bligh Reef without informing anyone.

Simulating the Tragic Exxon Valdez Route with Its Captain, 2014, CNN.