ST. SIMONS SOUND, Ga. — It’s the largest wreck removal in U.S. history and after two years, the last chunk of the Golden Ray has been removed from St. Simons Sound.
It took a multi-agency effort including the U.S. Coast Guard, wreckage removal crews, environmental groups and more.
The final piece of the Golden Ray was placed on this barge at the mayor’s point terminal in Brunswick on Monday.
RELATED: Last section of Golden Ray removed after capsizing more than 2 years ago, officials say
Salvage crews have been working tirelessly to get all eight pieces of the cargo ship out of St. Simons Sound.
“It was a relief yesterday to see it coming out. It was a big relief to see the last piece come out. Bring it out here and secure it on the dock. It was a milestone,” said Siggi Finnbogason, salvage master at T&T Salvage, LLC.
Action News Jax was there in September 2019 when the cargo ship capsized just off the St. Simons Sound shoreline.
It was carrying more than 4,200 cars on board worth over $142 million.
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued four crew members trapped for 36 hours after the ship capsized.
Investigators found out that a chief officer on the Golden Ray had miscalculated the stability of the ship, causing the car carrier to tip over.
MORE ON GOLDEN RAY: NTSB releases findings into federal investigation of Golden Ray | Lifting operations begin on final section of Golden Ray | Cleanup continues following Golden Ray oil leakage
Wreckage removal crews finally began moving the ship piece by piece last fall.
Although the Golden Ray is no longer in the water, crews will continue cleaning the mess left over.
“A lot during the wreck removal a lot of the parts fall off, as you can see behind us there’s hand railing, cars, decks,” salvage master Jim Conroy said.
T&T Salvage told Action News Jax all the pieces of the ship and the car debris that have been removed are now being recycled in Gibson, Louisiana for scrap metal.
“It does take a long time and we have been faced with many many challenges on this job. But the job is done now and it’s not easy to realize that it’s over,” Finnbogason said.
WANTED: Folkston murder suspect may be armed and dangerous, GBI says
Environmental groups say that over the next few weeks, they’ll continue to monitor St. Simons Sound and collect water samples.
Oil and other fluids were released from the cargo ship but so far, there has been no impact on water quality.
©2021 Cox Media Group
