NATION IN BRIEF : ALASKA : 3rd Mate Describes Hazelwood Orders

The third mate in control of the Exxon Valdez when it ran aground testified at the trial of skipper Joseph Hazelwood in Anchorage that Hazelwood had given him command after ordering a course diversion. Gregory Cousins said Hazelwood told him to call his cabin when the ship started to turn. Hazelwood contends that he left clear orders with Cousins for the ship’s direction and that if his orders had been obeyed the spill of nearly 11 million gallons of oil never would have occurred. But prosecutors have stressed that Cousins did not have a special license to pilot a ship in the area.