document: The tanker that caused the nation 's biggest oil spill was being illegally piloted by its third mate when the vessel ran aground on a reef , Exxon Shipping Co. said Sunday . Alaska 's governor , meanwhile , declared once-pristine Prince William Sound a disaster area as the toll on the waterway 's abundant wildlife began to mount . The Coast Guard said the slick and patches of oil separated from it were spread over an area of about 100 square miles . Exxon Shipping spokesman Brian Dunphy told The Associated Press that the captain of the tanker Exxon Valdez , Joseph Hazelwood , was not on the bridge at the time of the accident and that third mate Gregory Cousins was in command . `` It 's Exxon 's policy that in the waters that the ship was located in , the captain should have been on the bridge , '' Dunphy said . `` There 's a problem there in that he was not there . It 's our policy he should have been there . '' An Exxon spokeswoman , Sharon Curran-Wescott , said she believed Cousin 's actions violated federal regulations . `` He did n't have a proper pilot 's license for that . He was n't authorized by the company , nor was it legal , '' she said . Dunphy said he did not know why Hazelwood was not on the bridge . `` I am unaware of any explanation he has made at this time . ... There is a full investigation that will occur on the incident , '' Dunphy said , adding that the captain is consulting with an attorney . As clean-up efforts continued Sunday , fishermen fearing lost income sought compensation Sunday . Exxon Shipping Co. held a meeting Sunday between fishermen and a company claims officer . `` We 're not ready to absorb any loss , '' said Riki Ott , spokeswoman for United Fishermen of Alaska . `` We expect full compensation . '' Ten supertankers remained anchored 33 miles from Valdez , unable to move toward shore because the harbor remains closed . The Coast Guard said it ordered the closure to prevent pollution from being carried to Valdez on vessels passing through the oil . Department of Interior spokeswoman Pamela Bergmann said a wildlife specialist sailed in the sound Saturday and observed 75 ducks and two otters coated with oil . They could not be captured for cleaning , she said . Gov. Steve Cowper declared Prince William Sound a disaster area , freeing state resources for cleanup and paving the way for a federal disaster declaration . `` This oil spill may well be the greatest disaster to hit Alaska since the Good Friday earthquake 25 years ago , '' Cowper said in a news release . `` It requires the most thorough response we can muster and this disaster declaration is an important part of that response . We 'll be requesting President Bush to make a similar declaration . '' The 987-foot tanker Exxon Valdez , carrying 1.2 million barrels of North Slope crude oil loaded at Valdez , ran onto a reef 25 miles from the port early Friday after swinging out of a traffic lane to avoid ice . Valdez is at the southern end of the 800-mile Alaska oil pipeline . Estimates put the spill at 240,000 barrels of oil , or about 10.1 million gallons , making it the biggest U.S. spill on record . The only larger oil-related accident in U.S. waters was the spilling and burning of up to 10.7 million gallons of oil when two ships collided in Galveston Bay in 1979 . More than four miles of floating boom had been placed in an effort to contain the oil , the Coast Guard said Sunday . An additional 3,000 feet was to be deployed at Galena Bay at the request of fishermen . Skimming boats worked to remove the oil . The Coast Guard estimated the area affected by the spill at 100 square miles . However , Exxon insisted that the area was only 10 to 12 square miles , and Coast Guard officials said they were at a loss to explain the difference in estimates . The transfer of oil remaining aboard the Exxon Valdez to the Exxon Baton Rouge resumed late Saturday . The Coast Guard said about 84,000 gallons of oil an hour was being transferred ; at that rate , the unloading could take seven days . By late Sunday , Exxon officials said a total of 37,500 barrels of oil had been transferred in the first two days of the operation , leaving more than 900,000 barrels on the ship . Tests were under way to determine if dispersal chemicals should be used despite the potential for environmental damage . The agents need wave action to help break up the thick crude oil . Weather had been calm since the accident , but the National Weather Service said the wind was expected to increase to 25 mph and stir up a 5 - to 6-foot chop on the sound . However , the wind and waves may make it more difficult to skim oil off the water , said Coast Guard Lt. Ed Wieliczkiewicz . An experiment to assess the possibility of burning off the oil was completed early Sunday and the Coast Guard said Exxon officials were `` cautiously optimistic . '' Environmentalists , the governor and other top state officials have accused Exxon and Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. of responding too slowly to the spill . Alyeska operates the terminal at Valdez that loads tankers with North Slope crude . Both companies said they were satisfied with the handling of the problem . `` We 're proceeding cautiously , '' said Exxon spokesman Tom Cirigliano . `` We want to make sure we do n't make any mistakes in cleaning up the spill . '' Exxon Shipping Co. . President Frank Iarossi said Exxon has reviewed information gathered by divers and determined there are five holes in the vessel 's hull on the starboard side . The largest is 20-by-6 feet . All six tanks along the port side remain intact . Four are oil tanks ; two are ballast tanks . Investigation of the accident was turned over to the National Transportation Safety Board on Sunday . The ship 's captain and two bridge crew members , including Cousins , were relieved of duty Saturday and subpoenaed by the NTSB . Iarossi said relieving the three was intended to allow them rest and was not a disciplinary measure . Hazelwood was in his cabin at the time of the accident , Iarossi said . The third member of the bridge crew was identified as helmsman Robert Kagan . The three were administered routine tests for drug and alcohol abuse , but the results were not immediately available , officials said . The spill came at a time when Prince William Sound fishermen were preparing for the herring season , which is followed by harvests of shellfish and salmon . Many are concerned they will get only minimal harvests because of the oil damage , and then will face the longer-term problem of bad publicity . `` This could ruin our reputation in Asian markets for years to come , '' said Jim Brown , a netter . The herring catch , which usually takes place in April , primarily is for the harvest of roe , a delicacy that brings up to $ 25 per pound in Japan . `` It 's possible they could avoid the oil , '' Brown said . `` Fish are not stupid . But they ca n't avoid the chemicals . '' Rick Steiner of the University of Alaska Marine Advisory Program said the beaches on which the herring spawn could be polluted . Fishermen said they have had two good years back to back , and some were spurred by that success to go into debt for new equipment this year . Ott said fishing is an economic mainstay in Cordova , more so than in Valdez , which also draws tourists and has the oil terminal . `` Half of Cordova is operating on credit , '' Ott said .
extractive_keyphrases: oil spill joseph hazelwood federal regulations environmental damage captain proper pilot full investigation
abstractive_keyphrases: u.s. spill clean-up efforts 987-foot tanker exxon valdez