Photos: Golden Ray Hot-Tapping Underway

Response crews continue removing the oily water mixture from the Golden Ray’s engine room, and to date, 4,900 gallons of oil have been removed. Lightering operations have also commenced. 

The 656-foot car carrier Golden Ray capsized with a fire on board in St. Simons Sound, Brunswick, Georgia, on September 8. There were 24 on board, 23 crew and one pilot. All were rescued. However, the stricken vessel still poses a major hazard to navigation for the Port of Brunswick. She capsized at the entrance to St. Simons Sound while departing the port for Baltimore.

A salvage crewman with the St. Simons Sound Incident Unified Command rappels into an opening in the Golden Ray in St. Simons Sound, Brunswick, Ga., Sept. 25, 2019. Response teams assist in operating skimming equipment to collect oil inside the engine compartment of the vessel. Official U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Paige Hause.

Responders with the St. Simons Sound Incident Unified Command assess an oil recovery pump being used to remove fuel from the Golden Ray in St. Simons Sound, Brunswick, Ga., Sept. 25, 2019. This pump is used as part of the hot-tapping process, an industry-standard method of safely pumping fuel from the vessel. Official U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Paige Hause.

A crew member with the St. Simons Sound Incident Unified Command is lifted by crane to assist with adjustments to fuel lines being used to remove fuel from the Golden Ray in St. Simons Sound, Brunswick, Ga., Sept. 25, 2019. Hot-tapping is an industry-standard method of safely pumping fuel from the vessel. Official U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Paige Hause.