Joseph Hazelwood, captain of the tanker Exxon Valdes, ran aground in the frozen waters of Alaska’s Prince William Sound in March 1989, dumping at least 10.8 million gallons of crude oil. he was 75 years old.
His nephew, Sam Hazelwood, said his uncle was suffering from the combined effects of Covid-19 and cancer. Mr. Hazelwood lived in Huntington, Long Island, New York.
Shipping news website gCaptain.com reported his death On July 22, he did not specify who confirmed it, only stating that he was close to the Hazelwood family.
The Exxon Valdez spill blackened 1,500 miles of coastline in the Gulf of Alaska, a rich fishing and wildlife habitat. It helped Congress pass the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, simplifying and enhancing the US Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to prevent and respond to catastrophic oil spills.
The spill killed 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles and 22 killer whales, according to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustees Council, a joint federal and state watchdog.
A jury acquitted Captain Hazelwood of the felony charge of operating a vessel while intoxicated, but convicted him of the misdemeanor charge of inadvertently draining the oil, and fined him $50,000 and 1,000 hours of community service. imposed. The Coast Guard suspended his license for about nine months. He never returned to sea.
Anchorage federal court orders Exxon to pay hefty fines, However, the company appealed and the amount of the fine was eventually reduced.
Shortly after midnight on March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez (pronounced Valdez) ran aground on Brie Reef, Alaska. I radioed the Coast Guard in what turned out to be a huge understatement.
Captain Hazelwood was not on the bridge when the accident occurred. The National Transportation Safety Board said the ship’s third officer was unable to properly maneuver the vessel due to fatigue and excessive workload, and that Captain Hazelwood provided adequate navigational oversight due to alcohol-induced impairment. I discovered that I couldn’t. It turns out that Exxon Shipping Company and its subsidiary, Exxon Corporation, were unable to provide enough rested crew members with Fitmasters.
In June 1999, amid a long-running lawsuit, Mr. Hazelwood took time off from his New York law firm to head to Alaska and begin community service by picking up trash in Anchorage parks. In an interview with The New York Times, “As a captain, I am responsible for the actions of my ship and my men.” I’m no ruthless Oahu.
“But the crime I was convicted of was a B misdemeanor. I don’t have to agree to that.”
Joseph Jeffrey Hazelwood was born on September 24, 1946 in Hawkinsville, Georgia, the son of Joseph and Margaret Hazelwood. His father was an airline pilot. He graduated from Huntington High School and received a Bachelor of Science in Shipping from the State University of New York Maritime College in the Bronx in 1968.
By the age of 32, he was the youngest captain to work for Exxon.According to The Anchorage Daily News, at the time of Exxon Valdez’s accident, he lost his New York state driver’s license after being arrested for DUI in September 1988. had been suspended.
The Maritime College hired Mr. Hazelwood as a teacher aboard the training ship Empire State V shortly after the Exxon Valdez spill. While living on Long Island, he then worked as a paralegal and maritime consultant for Chalos & Brown, who represented him in his litigation.
Hazelwood is survived by his younger brother Joshua. his wife, Suzanne; their daughter, Alison; and two grandchildren.
Asked in 1999 if The Times was bothered by the fact that he was drinking alcohol on the day of the spill, Hazelwood admitted it but said: As far as I am concerned, and as every juror who has ever heard the facts of this case have discovered, alcohol had nothing to do with this basis. “
However, his notoriety continued. He was ridiculed on late-night television and in the comic strip “The Far Side.”
Mr. Hazelwood told The Times in 1999, “I don’t know why my name is still there. Do you know the name of the Titanic’s captain? You know my name better than Smith, who was the Titanic’s captain?” Demonizing me works for people, it’s an easy way to personalize this catastrophe.”
In an interview in The Spill: Personal Stories From the Exxon Valdez Disaster (2009) by Sharon Bushel and Stan Jones, Mr. Hazelwood offered a “sincere apology” to the people of Alaska, but he Notoriety suggested otherwise. Deserved.
As he put it, “Anyone who wants to see the truth can get a true story, but it’s not a compelling story, it’s not an easy one.”
Alex Traub contributed to the report.