The Unified Command (UC) for the St. Simons Sound Incident Response and assisting organizations are collaborating in finalizing plans for the construction of an environmental protection barrier (EPB) to be built around ‘Golden Ray’.
Currently, the ship’s owner and the UC are working closely with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Savannah District, to obtain the necessary permits to start construction of the EPB. In fact, USACE issued a public notice indicating that the construction plan could impact the federal navigation channel.
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As of now, contractors are working daily on preparing the Golden Ray for removal. Most recently, crews removed the side ramp and have been working on the stern ramp. Removing these ramps will improve safety conditions and expedite operations to cut the vessel into sections for removal.
“While crews are actively engaged in ramp removal from the wreck itself, we are working back on shore with environmental, engineering and other experts to finalize plans for the EPB that will mitigate threats to the marine ecosystem when the Golden Ray is eventually cut into large sections and removed by barge
explains Kevin Perry of Gallagher Marine Systems, incident commander for the responsible party.
Recently, fire broke out on the wreck of the ro-ro Golden Ray, while contractors were contacting welding operations inside the ship.
Luckily, the fire was contained within the hull and was quickly put out by the contractor’s fireboat.
As the vehicle carrier ‘Golden Ray’ capsized in St. Simons Sound, Brunswick, Georgia, on September 8, four of its crewmembers went missing.
According to The Brunswick News report, the car carrier Golden Ray was grounded after the pilot aboard, Captain Jonathan Tennant, deliberately took it out of the channel and contributed to the best possible outcome for the incident.
Until now, more than 315,000 gallons of fuel have been removed from the vessel. Nevertheless, according to Capt. Baer, an indefinite amount has entered the marine environment, as oil has been found along 29 miles of nearby shoreline, including areas where extremely small quantities of fuel have been found. It is lastly said that the Unified Command is regularly conducting spill response drills in order to be prepared in the event of a further release.
