The Exxon Valdez is significant because it was an oil tanker that caused one of the worst oil spills in U.S. history, leading to the building of double-hulled ships.
The Exxon Valdez disaster was an oil spill caused by the oil tanker Exxon Valdez after running aground on March 24, 1989,1 with a cargo of 11 million gallons / 41 million liters of crude oil, in Prince William Sound, Alaska, pouring 37,000 tons of hydrocarbon.
Alaska experienced the worst ecological tragedy in its history, by running the oil tanker and pouring millions of liters of oil that expanded over 2,000 kilometers of coastline.
After that disaster, in 1990 a tougher legislation was adopted that required a double hull for all new oil tankers, as well as for those over 23 years old.
These boats have a second sheet separated from the hull, which houses the tanks. The distance between the two plates guarantees that in case of a collision, the inner plate will not be damaged and the oil will not be poured into the ocean.
