The Observer, May 2005

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Seattle newspaper series on problems at ConocoPhillips tanker unit is available online

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer marked the 16th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill with a four-part investigative series detailing safety problems at Polar Tankers, the oil-shipping subsidiary of ConocoPhillips.

The paper is making the entire series available on its web site.

The series was written by Eric Nalder, a veteran investigative reporter who was instrumental in the Seattle Times’ winning of a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the Exxon Valdez spill. He is also the author of the book “Tankers Full of Trouble: The Perilous Journey of Alaskan Crude.”

Polar Tankers’ ships have been involved in several small spills and other incidents over the past year and a half, and one of its vessels has been accused by federal officials of causing a 1,500-gallon spill in Puget Sound last October, a charge denied by the company.