Lifting operations begin on final section of Golden Ray

GLYNN COUNTY, Ga. — The operation to lift the final section of the Golden Ray out of the St. Simons Sound is underway.

On Saturday wreck removal crews began lifting section four, all that is left of the once monstrous vessel that went belly up as it departed the Port of Brunswick in Sept. 2019. The ship’s capsizing was the largest cargo shipwreck in United States coastal waters in over thirty years.

A spokesperson with St. Simons Sound Incident Response said pollution teams recovered debris during lifting operations. See photos below.

Once lifted the final section is lifted, engineers and salvage teams will assess its condition before it is transported to a local facility for partial dismantling. It will then be sea-bound, hauled on Barge Julie B, to Lousiana where it will be recycled.

Golden Ray The VB-10000 hoists the final section of the Golden Ray wreck, Section Four, slowly out of St. Simons Sound on Saturday. St. Simons Sound Incident response photo.

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. Basically 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.