Cutting operations continue, shoreline clean-up teams continue to recover oil

BRUNSWICK, Ga. - Response environmental mitigation personnel continue to recover oil along the shorelines of St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island and treat several spots of oiled marsh grass adjacent to St. Simons Sound. No oil discharges from the Golden Ray wreck have been observed since Tuesday. Cutting operations continue to separate Section Three of the Golden Ray wreck.

REMOVAL UPDATE

Cutting operations to separate Section Three from the remaining Golden Ray wreck are on-going. Once separated, Section Three will be lifted and stowed onto a dry-dock barge.

Side-by-side images show progress made by the cutting chain on the hull-side of the Golden Ray wreck from Wednesday to Saturday. St. Simons Sound Incident response photo.

The cutting chain advances along the pre-cut groove between Section Three and Section Four of the Golden Ray wreck on Saturday. St. Simons Sound Incident response photo.

A dry-dock barge with a custom-fabricated cradle stands by at a response facility near Mayors Point Terminal on Friday. Once Section Three is separated from the remainder of the Golden Ray wreck, the barge will be towed to the wreck site to receive the section. St. Simons Sound Incident response photo.

The 150-yard safety zone around the EPB is increased to 200 yards for recreational vessels. The Unified Command (UC) advises mariners to please steer clear of the perimeter to ensure the safety of our responders and the public. Any unauthorized usage of drones (unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs) around the wreck site and near response facilities is discouraged due to safety. UAVs are distractions that can lead to near misses, mishaps and injuries. Responders will report any sightings of drones and drone operators to local authorities.

ENVIRONMENTAL UPDATE

A shoreline survey team member measures an oil globule prior to recovery at Jekyll Island on Wednesday. St. Simons Sound Incident response photo.

A shoreline clean-up team recovers several small fresh oil globules from a wrack line along the beach at Jekyll Island on Wednesday. St. Simons Sound Incident response photo.

Shoreline clean-up teams recover several small fresh oil globules along the beach at Jekyll Island on Wednesday. St. Simons Sound Incident response video.

A shoreline clean-up team member recovers an oil globule along the shoreline at the southern tip of Jekyll Island on Thursday. St. Simons Sound Incident response photo.

Response air observers identify two spots of oiled marsh adjacent to St. Simons Sound on Friday. St. Simons Sound Incident response photo.

A Shoreline Clean-up and Assessment Technique (SCAT) team surveys a spot of oiled marsh adjacent to St. Simons Sound on Friday. St. Simons Sound Incident response photo.

SCAT team members apply sphagnum moss treatment to spots of oiled marsh adjacent to St. Simons Sound while a response drone assists the team by providing critical aerial imagery and location information on Saturday. St. Simons Sound Incident response photo.

Travis Darden and Tom Freeman of Gallagher Marine Systems apply sphagnum moss treatment to a spot of oiled marsh adjacent to St. Simons Sound on Saturday. Sphagnum moss is a natural oil mitigation treatment that binds to and promotes the natural breakdown process of oil while reducing the possibility for any oil transfer onto wildlife and preserving the marsh grass rhizomes. St. Simons Sound Incident response photo.

Shoreline clean-up and assessment technique teams (SCAT) observed and recovered fresh oil globules on beaches at Jekyll Island and St. Simons Island following an oil discharge on Tuesday. SCAT personnel also identified and treated several spots of oiled marsh adjacent to St. Simons Sound using sphagnum moss. The oil likely migrated in a tideline and deposited into the marsh during a high tide with the aid of easterly winds. Sphagnum moss is a natural oil mitigation treatment that binds to any oil and reduces any possible transfer to wildlife while aiding in the natural breakdown process of oil known as weathering. To learn more about the response SCAT program, watch this video Subject Matter Expert Overview – SCAT Operations

On-water response teams maintain a 24-hour watch around the Golden Ray and they deploy pre-staged equipment and personnel to mitigate any oil discharges, sheens and debris observed. Natural Resource Advisors continue to monitor areas around the wreck site and the Environmental Protection Barrier for any wildlife activity or impacts. 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. For current beach and fishing safety information, please visit the Georgia Coast Health District website.

Shoreline survey teams continue to recover debris from the shorelines of Jekyll Island and St. Simons Island. All debris is sorted, catalogued and disposed of according to the response debris plan. If you encounter what you believe is debris from the Golden Ray wreck, please do not handle the debris. Call the Debris Reporting Hotline at (912) 944-5620. Responders evaluate each report, survey the vicinity and recover any shipwreck debris in addition to their daily surveys of the water and the shoreline. To learn more about the response debris program, watch this video Subject Matter Expert Overview – Debris Removal Operations

Safety personnel continue air monitoring in the community using mobile air monitoring equipment. Community air quality analysis and water sample analysis continues to confirm no exceedances of air and water quality standards. To learn more about the Air and Water quality monitoring program, watch this video Subject Matter Expert Overview – Air and Water Quality Monitoring

The Unified Command (UC) developed a multi-layer approach for observing, surveying, documenting and mitigating any releases of oil or debris during cutting and lifting operations. Recovery personnel are on-station at the Environmental Protection Barrier, at the shoreline and on the water around the Golden Ray shipwreck. Responders are maintaining protective boom at sensitive locations around St. Simons Sound.

The St. Simons Sound Incident Unified Command is the official source of information for the motor vessel Golden Ray response operations.

For more updates, please subscribe for email alerts at https://www.stsimonssoundincidentresponse.com/subscribe

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