Work to remove the last section of the Golden Ray continues after a barge departed Wednesday with two other sections of the shipwreck, the St. Simons Incident Response said Friday.
Those two sections of the ship, which overturned in September 2019 in the St. Simons Sound with 4,200 cars in its cargo deck, will be processed at a recycling facility in Louisiana.
As part of the process to remove the final section — which began Saturday — 180 vehicles were removed and will be taken to a local auto recycling facility.
The salvage master and the response engineering team assessed the condition of the bottom of the section on Wednesday, and the Brunswick News reports that extensive underside damage was found.
The condition of the section requires additional supports added to the cradle system that’s designed to secure the section to a dry dock barge. The section will be stowed and towed to a local response facility for partial dismantling once the construction of the additional supports is complete.
Meanwhile, on-water response teams maintain a 24-hour watch around the Golden Ray. They deploy pre-staged equipment and personnel to mitigate any oil discharges, sheens and debris observed. In addition, shoreline assessment teams survey more than 100 miles of shoreline and marsh areas weekly for any oil impacts, and wildlife assessment teams continue to survey marsh areas and beaches throughout St. Simons Sound for any potential wildlife impacts.
If you encounter residual oil on the shoreline or in the water, call the National Response Center hotline at 800-424-8802. If you encounter any oiled wildlife, do not attempt to capture it and report the sighting by calling 800-261-0980.