Cleanup efforts continue following ‘significant’ oil leak from capsized Golden Ray cargo ship

GLYNN COUNTY, Ga. — Pollution response teams are still working to clean up tens of thousands of oil that seeped into the St. Simons Sound over the weekend after crews finished cutting the sixth section of the Golden Ray.

Approximately 70 personnel split into several shoreline clean up teams are using various techniques to mitigate oiled shorelines along the south end of St. Simons Island, Ga., according to a spokesperson.

The 656 foot long vessel flipped on its side as it departed the Port of Brunswick in the early morning hours of September 8, 2019, with 4,200 vehicles in its cargo decks.

Responders recovered oil from the shoreline and inside the Environmental Protection Barrier (EPB) on Monday. Response managers expect several more days of clean-up operations.

The first cut into the Golden Ray was made last November. At the time, St. Simons Sound Incident Response said it planned to have the ship removed in about eight weeks, which would have been around the new year. As of mid-March crews weren’t halfway done.

For current beach and fishing safety information, please visit the Georgia Coast Health District website at the Georgia Coast Health District website.

To learn more about the response on water oil recovery program, watch this video Subject Matter Expert Overview – On-Water Oil Recovery Operations.

If you encounter residual oil on the shoreline or in the water, please call the National Response Center hotline at (800) 424-8802 or visit https://www.stsimonssoundincidentresponse.com.

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A MARCO oil skimmer vessel attaches to retention boom around the remainder of the Golden Ray wreck in order to remove oil retained inside the boom. (St. Simons Sound Incident response photo)

A Texas-based salvage company was hired to remove the Golden Ray. In a video is a 3D-rendered animation that outlines the recovery and salvage procedure of Golden Ray cargo ship.

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