document: A Long Beach-bound Exxon oil tanker ran aground on a reef Friday and spilled an estimated 8.4 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska 's Prince William Sound , a pristine Pacific waterway heavily used by kayakers , fishermen and tourists . It was the largest Alaskan oil spill ever . The Exxon Valdez , a 987-foot tanker owned by Exxon Shipping Co. , rammed the reef about 25 miles from the city of Valdez , the northernmost ice-free port in the United States , at 12:30 a.m. Coast Guard officers speculated that the ship 's captain may have been trying to avoid icebergs from the nearby Columbia Glacier when the accident occurred . Leak a Mere Trickle A representative of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the tanker had been spilling oil at a rate of 10,000 barrels an hour but the Coast Guard said the leak had become a mere trickle by 2:30 p.m. , Alaska time . U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer John Gonzales said in a telephone interview from Valdez that the spill was staying `` in the mid-channel '' and did not seem to be moving toward the shore . `` We 've had no report of any wildlife hurt at this time , '' he said . But environmentalists feared that if the oil reached the shore , marine birds would be threatened . Herring hatch at this time of year and attract up to 20,000 sea birds for the feast . Environmentalists also expressed concern about whales , sea lions and other wildlife . Twenty people were aboard the ship but there were no immediate reports of injuries , said Dave Parish , a spokesman for Exxon USA , in a telephone interview from Anchorage . He said three planes from British Columbia , California and England had been dispatched to the scene for aerial spraying to dilute the oil . Gonzales said 200,000 barrels spilled into the sea . Another Exxon tanker was attempting to pump the oil out of the crippled vessel , and two Coast Guard investigators were on board the Valdez , he said . Jon Nelson , a deputy regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Anchorage , said the reef ripped a 150-foot gash in the vessel , which was carrying 1.2 million barrels of oil , and there was fear that the tanker could break apart further . `` If it breaks up on the rocks , then anything could happen , '' he said in a telephone interview . The seas were calm Friday and the forecast was for continued calm until Sunday . Infuriated local residents and environmentalists complained about the slow pace of the cleanup . Critical of Efforts `` Where was the crackerjack response team that was supposed to be out there ? They are moving way too slowly , '' said University of Alaska professor Richard Steiner , who flew over the slick Friday . `` There -LRB- was -RRB- no oil -LRB- cleanup equipment -RRB- out there and it 's been 14 hours since it happened . `` It is huge , literally huge , '' he said in a telephone interview from Cordova . `` It looks devastating . The slick is probably five miles long by three miles wide . Fortunately , there is no wind ... . We saw six sea lions inside the slick , swimming , trying to avoid it , and they had no idea which way to go . '' Cindy Lowry , Alaska regional director for Greenpeace , also complained about the pace of the cleanup . `` It is more than 12 hours later and there is no -LRB- cleanup -RRB- boom , no sweepers . They are bringing equipment from as far away as England . It is just absurd that the equipment is not here already ... . This will affect everything in the food chain , from crab larvae to orca whales . '' Exxon 's Parish said everything possible was being done . `` It takes time to get activated , '' he said . The immediate response to the spill was handled by crews from the terminal at Valdez . Floating Oil Booms Gonzales , the Coast Guard spokesman , said the terminal has cleanup equipment on site for minor spills . He said employees of the Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. , which operates the trans-Alaska oil pipeline for a consortium of oil companies , were getting floating oil booms in place by late afternoon . Prince William Sound , home to orcas , sea otters and fur seals , is important to both the fishing and the recreation industries . `` It 's a gorgeous marine environment and ecosystem , with lots of little islands and inlets and bays , '' said Emily Barneet , Alaska issues specialist for the Sierra Club in Anchorage . `` It 's also a pretty well-established tourist attraction , with sailing and glacier viewing trips . Prince William is a gem . '' The spill is expected to add fuel to a campaign by environmentalists to prevent further oil development in Alaska , particularly in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge . `` It 's of concern for two reasons : one is the size of the spill and that this is such a sensitive , very productive area , '' said Lisa Speer , senior staff scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council in New York . `` This is a consequence of North Slope oil development that is rarely mentioned . '' Valdez City Manager Doug Griffen told the Associated Press that the 800-mile trans-Alaska pipeline , which carries oil from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez and the marine terminal , has a good environmental record . Expected Worst `` But this could be a catastrophic occurrence , so we 're concerned , '' he said . `` Living in Valdez , we 've always worried that sometime something like this could happen . '' Alaska Gov. Steve Cowper arrived in Valdez on Friday to evaluate the spill . He said that state officials were considering the use of chemicals to disperse and sink the oil . `` The problem is that chemical use can have a bad effect on marine life , '' he said . `` It 's going to be a tough judgment call . '' Cowper said that conventional responses , such as booms , probably would not work because the spill is so large . `` You probably could n't do it -LRB- contain the spill -RRB- with all the equipment available in North America . This is a major spill by any reckoning . `` We 've been able to brag for a long time that there 's never been a major oil spill in Valdez Harbor . Now , we ca n't do that anymore . ''
extractive_keyphrases: alaskan oil spill crude oil exxon valdez wildlife hurt cleanup equipment
abstractive_keyphrases: long beach-bound exxon oil tanker