Golden Ray: Cutting continues

Written by Nick Blenkey
image description

Cut is being made by chain manipulated by heavy lift vessel VEB 1000

New photographs have been released giving an indication of the progress being made in cutting the wreck of the capsized car carrier Golden Ray into sections. The cuts are being made by the heavy lift vessel VEB 10000 using a chain —rather like cutting a cheese with a wire, only a lot slower.

As we reported earlier, according to the St. Simons Sound Response Unified Command (the Coast Guard, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and Gallagher Marine Systems) cutting resumed on Monday after a pause for Tropical Storm Eta. During that pause, responders continued to refine cutting equipment and methods to increase their efficiency. Equipment to lift and remove the section being cut remains on standby.

The Unified Command reports that light oil sheening has been observed and reported adjacent to the wreck during daily aerial and on-water surveys. A small amount of oil has been recovered.

Responders recovered a lightly-oiled tern inside the Environmental Protection Barrier around the wrck and safely transferred it to a regional wildlife facility on Monday for rehabilitation.

Noise pollution during cutting operations has been lower than anticipated.

The hull and the topside of the wreck of the Golden Ray shows the progress of the Section One cut. [St. Simons Sound Incident Response photo.]
Categories: News, Salvage, Shipping Tags: , , , , , , , ,