Captain Surrenders to Long Island Police

VALDEZ, Alaska--The captain of the Exxon Valdez surrendered to police yesterday, and salvage crews freed the tanker from the reef that ripped its hull and spilled more than 10 million gallons of crude oil.

Cleanup crews continued to skim mayonnaise-thick oil from Prince William Sound, but progress was slow and the oil had spread over an area larger than Delaware. The animal death toll rose and salmon hatcheries remained endangered.

Fired tanker captain Joseph Hazelwood, 42, surrendered to police on New York's Long Island and a judge set his bail at $500,000, up from a prosecutor's recommendation of $25,000. He had been sought since Saturday on a fugitive warrant on misdemeanor charges of operating the tanker while drunk.

"These misdemeanors are of such a magnitude that has never been equaled, at least in this country," Judge Kenneth Rohl said as Hazelwood was arraigned. "He's got to think about that. We have a manmade destruction that has not been equaled, probably, since Hiroshima."

Salvage crews pumped compressed air into the $125 million ship and floated it off Bligh Reef, 25 miles from the port of Valdez. From there, it began a 30-mile journey under the control of six tugs to a remote cove off Naked Island for temporary repairs, picking its way through scattered icebergs.

Exxon Shipping Co. President Frank Iarossi said the company has talked with dry docks in South Korea, Japan and Singapore about accepting the vessel after the temporary repairs are made.

First choice is a Portland, Ore., dry dock, Iarossi said, but Oregon officials have raised concerns about accepting the ship. Iarossi said the ship won't trail any pollution while it is towed.

Oil has floated over 2600 square miles, soiled 800 miles of beach and killed thousands of animals, including at least 30 sea otters, officials said.

"Dozens of otters are dying before rescuers can get to them," said fish and game spokesman Jon Lyman.

Favorable weather, however, has kept it offshore from a national park and additional coastline outside Prince William Sound.

Flow through the Alaskan pipeline returned to its normal daily flow of 2.1 million barrels Wednesday, the Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. said. Oil flow from the North Slope had been cut by 60 percent because the spill restricted tanker traffic in Valdez harbor, but traffic has increased.

In Washington, Sen. Alan Cranston and Rep. Mel Levine accused the federal government of covering up the possibility of a major spill and the ineffectiveness of cleanup technology. The California Democrats also asked President Bush to cancel oil leasing off the California coast pending a review of the program.

Hazelwood is charged with operating a ship while under the influence of alcohol, reckless endangerment and negligent discharge of oil. The charges carry a combined maximum penalty of two-and-a-quarter years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

FBI officials in Washington say they also are investigating whether Hazelwood could be charged with felony violations of the Clean Water Act, which prohibits negligent discharge of pollutants into navigable waters.

Hazelwood was fired by Exxon a week ago after the National Transportation Safety Board said tests taken about nine hours after the disaster showed he was drunk.

Hazelwood had been arrested twice for drunken driving and had his license suspended three times. His mother has told The Associated Press that her son had undergone rehabilitation and that Exxon was aware of his drinking problem.

Exxon said it has changed its policy because of the spill and now requires crews to be aboard ship, where drinking is prohibited, four hours before sailing.