Removal of the capsized cargo ship Golden Ray timeline

Glynn County, GA. — April 28, 2021:

Responders removed Section Seven of the Golden Ray wreck.

Crews removed this section from the environmental protection barrier by barge.

This section will make the transition to Mayors Point Terminal to then be transported to a recycling facility in Louisiana.

The next section of the wreck to be removed is Section Three.

April 24, 2021:

Responders separated Section Seven from the rest of the Golden Ray wreck.

Crews are removing vehicles that were once transported on the Golden Ray.

Once fully removed this part of the wreck will be transported to Mayors Point Terminal.

March 25, 2021:

Responders continue preparations to remove Section Seven of the Golden Ray.

The removal of the wreck is very complex and takes multiple days to removed just one section.

March 16, 2021:

Responders lifted and lowered Section Two of the Golden Ray wreck onto a barge to be transported out of the St. Simons Sound.

This piece contains cars that were being transported on the Golden Ray.

Once secured for ocean transit, this piece will be shipped to a recycling facility in Louisiana.

January 27, 2021:

Responders commenced cutting operations to separate Section Seven of the Golden Ray wreck.

Crews have decided to increase the Environmental Protection Barrier to 200 yards instead of 150 yards for the cut.

Responders will continue to monitor the water and sound levels at the St. Simons Island Pier and the Jekyll Island Pier.

January 3, 2021:

The removal of the stern of the Golden Ray has been completed.

Responders have completed cutting the second section of the Golden Ray which they call Section Eight.

This is the second piece of the ship that has been removed.

The stern will be transported out of the St. Simons Sound.

Pollution monitoring and mitigation continues on the water in the vicinity of the wreck site and along the shoreline.

November 28, 2020:

The removal of the massive capsized cargo ship, Golden Ray, in Glynn County has begun after the project was placed on hold due to hurricane season and COVID-19.

Responders cut what they call “Section One” of the Golden Ray.

The bow of the cargo ship has been scheduled to exit the Environmental Protection Barrier.

Preparations for the second cut have begun.

The wreck will be removed in 8 sections over the next several months.

Original Story: On Sept. 8th 2019, a cargo vessel, Golden Ray (656 feet long and 106 feet wide), flipped on its side off St. Simons Island, Ga. at approximately 2 a.m. Sunday, according to the Georgia Ports Authority. The call initially came in as a ship that had capsized.

The Coast Guard rescued 24 people from the vessel safely.

The Georgia Port Authority says the ship was trying to make a right turn when it flipped, and that 4,200 cars were on board at the time.

This capsized cargo ship closed the Port of Brunswick for several days.

Since the vessel overturned the Coast Guard and St. Simons Sound Incident Response team has shifted the focus to environmental protection as well as the removal of the ship.

Cox Media Group