Tanker 3rd Mate Blames Oil Spill on Helmsman

ANCHORAGE â€”  Exxon Valdez Third Mate Gregory Cousins testified Wednesday in his former skipper’s trial that the tanker ran aground for one reason--the helmsman failed to execute steering orders given by Cousins.

Cousins said he is convinced that the Exxon Valdez would have missed Bligh Reef by 2 miles if the orders of Capt. Joseph Hazelwood, who has since been fired, had been carried out.

Instead, the tanker hit the reef and spewed nearly 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound in America’s worst oil spill.

Cousins, the man in command when Hazelwood went to his cabin to do paper work about 15 minutes before the wreck, said he believed that Hazelwood had ordered prudent, practical maneuvers for a detour around icebergs.

Although called by the prosecution to testify against Hazelwood, Cousins blamed helmsman Robert Kagan for failing to execute the turn orders.

Kagan, 47, of Harahan, La., testified earlier in the week that he had carried out Cousins’ steering commands, which were essentially Hazelwood’s orders to return to tanker lanes after sailing around ice.

Cousins said that the automatic pilot, switched on by the departing skipper and turned off minutes later, played no role in the grounding.

Cousins said he supported Hazelwood’s decision to increase speed during the maneuvers, saying the ship steered better at a somewhat higher speed.

Hazelwood, 43, of Huntington, N.Y., is charged with reckless endangerment, operating the tanker while intoxicated, negligent discharge of oil and criminal mischief.