Exxon Valdez Exxon Valdez Oriental Nicety, formerly Exxon Valdez, Exxon Mediterranean, SeaRiver Mediterranean, S/R Mediterranean, Mediterranean, and Dong Fang Ocean, was an oil tanker that gained notoriety after running aground in Prince William Sound spilling hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude oil in Alaska. On March 24, 1989, while owned by the former Exxon Shipping Company, and captained by Joseph Hazelwood and First Mate James Kunkel bound for Long Beach, California, the vessel ran aground on the Bligh Reef resulting in the second largest oil spill in United States history. The size of the spill is estimated to have been ,
Oil tanker oil tankers has ranged from 26.9 to 31.5 years. In 2005, the price for new oil tankers in the , , and ranges were US$43 million, $58 million, and $120 million respectively. In 1985 these vessels would have cost $18 million, $22 million, and $47 million respectively. Oil tankers are often sold second-hand. In 2005, worth of oil tankers were sold used. Some representative prices for that year include $42.5M for a tanker, $60.7 million for a , $73 million for a , and $116 million for tanker. For a concrete example, in 2006, Bonheur subsidiary First Olsen paid US$76.5