Exxon Valdez oil spill Exxon should have told the jury at the start that an agreement had already been made, so the jury would know exactly how much Exxon would have to pay. As of December 15, 2009, Exxon had paid the entire $507.5 million in punitive damages, including lawsuit costs, plus interest, which were further distributed to thousands of plaintiffs. In October 1989, Exxon filed suit against the State of Alaska, charging that the state had interfered with Exxon's attempts to clean up the spill by refusing to approve the use of dispersant chemicals until the night of the 26th. The state disputed
Milford Haven Waterway first oil terminal and oil refinery in 1960; unfortunately this coincided with a serious oil-spill from "Esso Portsmouth", the first oil tanker to unload there. Since then, there have been numerous spills of varying magnitude, providing the port authority with a great deal of experience. Uniquely at the time, the harbourmaster instituted the principle of cleaning up first and allocating the blame (and the responsibility of paying for it) later. There are two large oil refineries nearby which represent one fifth of the United Kingdom's oil refining capacity. In 1978 the tanker "Christos Bitas" ran aground off the Haven, spilling