Exxon Val ‧ dez, the /ˌeksɒn vælˈdiːz $ -sɑːn-/ BrE AmE trademark
an ↑ oil tanker (=very large ship carrying oil) which caused very large quantities of oil to be poured into the sea when it was damaged in Prince William Sound, Alaska, in 1989. The ship's owners, the Exxon company, had to spend a large amount of money on cleaning up the oil, which killed birds and sea animals, and were forced by a court of law to pay money to people who had been affected by the accident, especially people in the fishing industry. ⇨ ↑ Sea Empress, the , ↑ Torrey Canyon, the