NATION IN BRIEF : ALASKA : Expert Lays Spill to Valdez Helmsman
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
The Exxon Valdez ran aground on a jagged reef and spilled its cargo of oil because the helmsman failed to turn the ship as far as ordered, an expert testified on behalf of the tanker’s ex-skipper, Joseph Hazelwood, at Hazelwood’s trial in Anchorage. Peter Shizume, who devised a computer program used to simulate ship accidents, said the tanker would have missed Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound by about 2 miles if the rudder had been turned as ordered.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
