After striking the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in heavy fog, the ship spilled 53,000 gallons of oil, damaging miles of coastal habitat.
The Exxon Valdez slammed into Bligh Reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound, spilling 11 million gallons of crude oil, damaging 1,300 miles of shoreline, disrupting the livelihoods of thousands of Americans and fouling one of the country's richest fishing grounds.
In addition, the Kuwaiti Oil Minister estimated that "in terms of total oil spilled, between twenty-five and fifty million barrels of unburned oil from damaged facilities pooled to create approximately 300 oil lakes, that contaminated around 40 million tons of sand and earth".
Gliders can be used to track oil damage and thus aid in the reduction of these effects.
A hot line set up has garnered about 75 calls — mostly residents reporting oil damage to property, or with questions.
Prof Richard Steiner, an international expert on oil spills, was contracted to write the manual on oil damage assessment and restoration by the UNEP in 2004.
Depending on the extent of the oil damage and the outcome of government investigations into the accident, BP could face billions of dollars in claims.
