Crowley Maritime says the spill estimate from last month's grounding of the Pathfinder is considered a worst-case amount.
Crowley says the estimate is based on an evaluation of the tug's two damaged fuel tanks, the amount of diesel on board when it ran aground Dec. 23 and the amount recovered from the two tanks after it was towed to Valdez.
The estimate was reported Monday to oversight agencies including the Coast Guard and state Department of Environmental Conservation.
The 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster remains the United States' worst tanker spill, with an estimated 11 million gallons of crude oil spilled.
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