Authorities handling the salvage of a car carrier that capsized off the coast of Georgia a month ago have determined that the vessel must be removed piece by piece.
The 7,700-ceu Golden Ray (built 2017) turned on its side in St Simon Sound on 9 September after a fire erupted near its cargo of about 4,000 cars. All 24 crew members were rescued from the ship, which is owned by South Korea''s Hyundai Glovis, the day after the incident.
Since then, a Unified Command made up of US Coast Guard, Georgia Department of Natural Resources and salvage specialists have been lightering fuel from the ship onto a barge.
After removing 220,000 gallons from the forward tanks — about two-thirds of all the fuel — thus far, the Unified Command determined it impossible Saturday to right the ship and float it away from the scene of the accident intact.
"Consequently, Unified Command is developing plans to remove all of the M/V Golden Ray’s hull, components, and cargo by disassembling the vessel in place," the response group said in a statement.
"This remains a complex situation but additional information about the removal plan and the expected timeline will be shared with the public as and when available.
"Pollution mitigation and response efforts will continue throughout the duration of the removal operation."
