Photos: Cutting Of MV Golden Ray Progresses Despite Challenges
The demolition of the overturned Golden Ray is being progressed in St. Simons Sound, Georgia. The first cut was made on the hull of a 656-foot vessel loaded with vehicles, by the salvage team.
A 400-foot length of anchor chain is to be used to cut sections along with the heavy-lift barge VB-10000 which is positioned over the wreck. The process of the vessel is cut into eight pieces was supposed to take 7 days with each cut taking approx. 24 hours. But this was only if everything went as planned, unfortunately, that was not the case.
The work started on a fine Friday morning, but the chain broke only after 25 hours of cutting. Fortunately, no damage to the vessel or any injuries happened, The chain was fixed and further inspected for any other signs of damage after none was found it was placed back into service.
Deputy Incident Commander Tom Wiker of Gallagher Marine Systems said, “The cutting process was carefully engineered and modeled, but it remains a highly complex operation. This is the first of seven cuts. During each cut we will continue fine-tuning our cutting parameters, including speed and tension of the chain, to improve its efficiency. Though the cut is taking longer than expected, we’re gaining valuable knowledge that will guide the rest of this operation.”
The weather forecast is also being closely monitored by the unified command as Tropical Storm Eta passes by southern Florida. Monday is expected to a windy day with wind speeds of up to 20 knots.
150-yard of safety zone was increased to 200-yards around Environmental Protection Barrier by the officials for recreational vessels. Overflights by unauthorized drones are prohibited.
Reference: wsav.com
Marine Insight does not own the rights of the video.
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