Crews prepare to haul away final section of Golden Ray

Section Six transloaded to Julie B Loaded with Sections Three and Six of the Golden Ray wreck, the Barge Julie B continues sea fastening on Friday at Mayor’s Point Terminal in preparation to transit the sections to Louisiana. St. Simons Sound Incident response photo. (credit: ST. SIMONS INCIDENT RESPONSE)

By Samantha Mathers

BRUNSWICK, Ga — It’s been more than two years since a cargo ship the length of two football fields capsized off the St. Simons Island shoreline.

Crews are now preparing to remove the final section of the Golden Ray.

The process of disassembling the 38,600-ton Golden Ray began in Nov. 2020. It was announced the ship would be cut into seven pieces and later transported in pairs to a Louisiana recycling yard on a specialized barge called Julie B, a 400-foot long, 130-foot wide, high deck strength barge able to carry loads up to 4,200 pounds per square foot. Petty Officer Michael Himes with the St. Simons Sound Incident Response told Action News Jax in September the barge is the largest available in the U.S.

The final cut was completed in September of this year. Only section four now remains.

The NTSB said damages from the accident were around $200 million, including the total loss of the vessel and $142 million worth of cargo. In a May 2020 disclosure, North P&I Club, the Golden Ray’s U.K.-based insurer, expected the accident to run up more than $400 million in claims, a potential record for the 161-year-old company, according to reporting by Car and Driver.

In Sept. the National Transportation Safety Board released its official report into the 2019 capsizing, concluding incorrect calculations were made about the vessel’s stability (bad math). The report also found that two watertight doors had been left open, which caused the vessel to flood after it capsized.

For the latest on Golden Ray removal and response visit https://www.stsimonssoundincidentresponse.com.

Section Six transloaded to Julie B Loaded with Sections Three and Six of the Golden Ray wreck, the Barge Julie B continues sea fastening on Friday at Mayor’s Point Terminal in preparation to transit the sections to Louisiana. St. Simons Sound Incident response photo. (credit: ST. SIMONS INCIDENT RESPONSE)

Section Three transloaded to Julie B The VB-10000 holds Section Three of the Golden Ray wreck as tugs move the Barge Julie B into position underneath the section during transloading operations on Saturday. (credit: St. Simons Sound Incident Response)

Golden Ray Several vehicles are stowed on a containment barge during weight-shedding operations or Section Five of the Golden Ray wreck. (credit: St. Simons Sound Incident Response)

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