The supply chain backup is making holiday shopping difficult for some. But on Monday, crews at the Port of Fernandina were working to try to relieve some of that.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – The Versabar 10,000 has finally arrived at the salvage operations of the Golden Ray, the overturned cargo ship in the St. Simons Sound. Crews will use the giant VB 10,000 to dismantle the Golden Ray into eight sections. More than 71 tons of equipment and inventory remains in the Golden Ray wreckage, which includes thousands of new vehicles. It will take a few days before the VB 10,000 will be positioned over the Golden Ray. The VB 10,000 weighs 7,500 tons and is the largest lift vessel ever built in the United States.

The heavy-lifting crane that has been sitting in the Port of Fernandina since early July is expected to make its way to the St. Simons Sound as early as Tuesday. Partly submerged and waiting to be dismantled, the next step in the Golden Ray removal operation is expected to happen this week, weather permitting. Responders will use the crane to cut the Golden Ray wreck into eight sections, which will then be placed onto barges. We’ve seen this for so long,” Long said. The Unified Command is telling boaters to steer clear of the environmental protection barrier that is set up around the wreck.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Fla. – The nine people directly involved with the removal operations of the cargo ship Golden Ray who tested positive for COVID-19 have been cleared to return to work, according to Unified Response officials. They have cleared medical screenings and can now return to work removing the cargo ship, which is still lying on its side in the St. Simons Sound. Operations continue to prepare the Golden Ray for the arrival of the VersaBar-10,000. The Golden Ray is referred to as a “RoRo” a roll-on, roll-off shop so cars can be driven on and off. Unified Command said 4,200 cars remain on board the ship that has been lying on its side for more than 10 months.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - In anticipation of gale-force winds spawned by Hurricane Dorian, the U.S. Coast Guard has ordered the ports of Jacksonville and Fernandina closed to all traffic. Mariners are reminded there are no safe havens in these facilities, and ports are safest when the inventory of vessels is at a minimum. While port condition Zulu is in place, no vessels may enter or transit within these ports without permission of the Coast Guard Captain of the Port. Carnival Cruise Line was still evacuating plans for the Carnival Ecstasy, which was scheduled to sail from Jacksonville on Thursday. Ships planning to stay in port must not only notify the Coast Guard captain of the port but also provide a written mooring plan.