Largest U.S. Tanker Spill Spews 270,000 Barrels of Oil Off Alaska

A tanker filled to capacity with crude oil ran aground and ruptured yesterday 25 miles from the southern end of the Trans Alaska Pipeline, spewing her cargo into water rich in marine life.

By evening the ship, the Exxon Valdez, had sent more than 270,000 barrels of oil into Prince William Sound, making this the largest tanker spill in United States history.

Opponents of further development of Arctic oilfields quickly seized on the spill as evidence of what they perceive as the environmental risks involved. No Deaths or Injuries

By early evening the spill was about 5 miles long and 500 feet wide, said Petty Officer John Gonzales, a spokesman for the Coast Guard station at the port of Valdez, from which the Exxon Valdez departed late Thursday, bound for Long Beach. Calif., with her load of 1,260,000 barrels.

Petty Officer Gonzales said that the ship was still leaking late yesterday but that the rate of leakage had slowed. The Associated Press reported last night that the amount of oil spilled had reached 270,000 barrels, or about 38,500 tons.

Petty Officer Gonzales said no one had died or been injured in the accident. He said the Exxon Valdez had been maneuvering around icebergs when she ran aground on Bligh Reef, 25 miles south of the port, about 10:30 A.M. yesterday, Eastern standard time. Whether the maneuvering was the cause of the accident is under investigation, he said. Another Ship to Rescue