The contingency plans enforced at Prince William Sound in the wake of the Exxon Valdez tanker spill in 1989 have greatly enhanced the Alaskan port's capacity to respond to such emergencies, the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council (PWSRCAC) has claimed.

According to the Kodiak Daily Mirror, the organisation's director of administration Lisa Ka'aihue said that legislation phasing out the use of single-hull tankers by 2015 had reduced the likelihood and impact of a spill considerably, with estimates indicating that the size of the Exxon Valdez spill would have been reduced by 60 per cent had the ship been double-hubbed.

The local maritime community has also been heavily engaged with spill response operations in the sound, with more than 350 vessels regularly taking part in training exercises in the port's waters.

According to the National Geographic, the Exxon Valdez spill may have caused more environmental damage than any other, despite not being in the top 50 spills in terms of size.

Oil and Gas Directory: Training and Development