BRUNSWICK, Ga. - Responders continue preparations to separate Section Seven from the Golden Ray wreck. Section Eight, the stern, began transiting to a recycling facility in Louisiana Friday.
REMOVAL UPDATE
Responders have completed drilling holes along the cut line which serve to guide the cutting chain along a predictable cutting path. Divers continue the drilling of drain holes along Section Seven to reduce weight during lifting operations once the section is separated. Due to strong currents around the wreck site, dive operations are limited to slack tide conditions. The VB-10000 will move into position over Section Seven to begin rigging and final preparations for cutting once the drain holes are complete.
Section Eight departed the Port of Brunswick Friday secured to the Barge 455-8 and assisted by the Tug Kurt J Crosby en route a recycling facility in Gibson, La.
Section Eight of the Golden Ray wreck passes the Jekyll Island Pier during its transit out of the Port of Brunswick, Ga. en route to a recycling facility in Louisiana after clearing inspections. St. Simons Sound Incident response photo.
Responders suspended along the hull of the Golden Ray wreck inspect hole cuts made to perforate a projected cut groove while a dive operations team continues cutting drain holes for Section Seven. The perforations help guide the cutting chain along a predictable cutting path during cutting operations. St. Simons Sound Incident response photo
Responders lower and level the VB-10000 lifting beams to the water line during preparations to separate Section Seven of the Golden Ray wreck. St. Simons Sound Incident response photo.
The 400-foot long, 105-foot wide Barge 455-7 arrived at the Port of Brunswick on Wednesday. The barge will receive Section Seven once the section is separated from the remainder of the Golden Ray wreck. St. Simons Sound Incident response photo.
ENVIRONMENTAL UPDATE
Responders remove a piece of debris from the marsh discovered by response aerial observers. In addition to daily shoreline surveys, response crews also conduct daily aerial surveys using a helicopter and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as well as on-water patrols to identify and recover debris. St. Simons Sound Incident response photo.
Responders continue to observe and mitigate oil sheens in the vicinity of the Golden Ray wreck site and recover debris on the water and along the shoreline. No further treatment of the shoreline was necessary after each recovery. The response environmental unit continues to collect water samples in the vicinity of the wreck site in accordance with the response Water Quality Sampling 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.
If you encounter residual oil on the shoreline or in the water, please call the National Response Center hotline at 800-424-8802.
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 (EPB), at the shoreline and on the water around the Golden Ray shipwreck. Responders are maintaining protective boom at sensitive locations around St. Simons Sound.
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The 150-yard safety zone around the EPB is increased to 200 yards for recreational vessels. The UC advises mariners to please steer clear of the perimeter. Any unauthorized usage of drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) around the wreck site is prohibited. Responders will report any sightings of drones and drone operators to local authorities.
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/
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