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Source of Golden Ray oil leak contained

Weight-shedding operations continue

Pollution response teams on St. Simons Island are faced with the task of removing heavy oil that came from the Golden Ray. (WJXT)

A venting pipe is said to be what caused an oil leak on the Golden Ray, an overturned cargo ship being dismantled along the coast of Georgia.

The St. Simons Sound Incident Response said personnel capped the pipe that was raised above the waterline during a partial lifting operation of the Golden Ray’s sixth section.

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Pollution observers are reporting a minimal amount of oil around the section since securing the vent.

PREVIOUS STORIES: Section of overturned shipwreck separated, oil discharged | Days of cleanup expected after Golden Ray oil leak

On Sunday, the VB 10,000 started shifting into a position to allow a weight-shedding team to remove vehicles and other moveable items to lessen the overall weight.

About 30 pollution response vessels will remain at the wreck site to mitigate any oil.

Twenty oiled Royal Terns were recovered from Bird Island on Sunday. Wildlife rehabilitation specialists took them to a rehabilitation center in South Carolina for further treatment.

Marsh areas and beaches throughout St. Simons Sound will continue to be surveyed by wildlife assessment teams.

If you find any oiled wildlife, do not try to capture it, but instead call 800-261-0980.

A group of 80 personnel is cleaning the shorelines from the southern edge of St. Simons Island to the north side of Jekyll Island.

Beaches are open to the public, but the health department wants beachgoers to remain vigilant.

You can find more information on the incident response here.

The Golden Ray capsized on Sept. 8, 2019, shortly after departing the Port of Brunswick. Salvage crews began slicing the ship into giant chunks, and they finished cutting away the sixth of eight sections late last month. Oil gushed into the water July 31 when the towering crane straddling the shipwreck began lifting the 4-ton segment.


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