Audio recording played sailors shouting above blaring alarms and other loud noises in the final minutes before the cargo ship, says an article published in Yahoo Finance.
Government hearing
U.S. Coast Guard investigators presented their first piece of evidence, the ship’s black box recording on the opening day of public hearings expected to last more than a week.
According to the audio recording, sailors shouted above blaring alarms and other loud noises in the final minutes before the cargo ship Golden Ray overturned a year ago along the coast of Georgia.
The Capesized cargo ship
Capesized with automobiles
The South Korean-owned Golden Ray capsized with more than 4,200 automobiles in its cargo decks shortly after departing the Port of Brunswick on Sept. 8, 2019.
For more information read our article Cargo Ship Flipped! Crew Missing
Stuck automobiles
The ship, with its cargo still inside, remains stuck at the edge of the shipping channel off St. Simons Island, about 70 miles (112 kilometres ) south of Savannah.
The audio and Animation
Animation revealed the chaos
The audio played was accompanied by an animation. The animation followed the ship’s course based on data from the black box recorder.
It appeared to show the Golden Ray entering a turn to its starboard side when the chaos broke out.
Audio heard
“What’s going on captain?” a man can be heard asking as a series of loud noises erupt followed by alarms.
Though the sailors were heard shouting above the cacophony, nothing was clear.
Investigators findings
No vessel safety failure
Capt. Blake Welborn, the Coast Guard officer presiding over the hearings, said that investigators found no evidence of failures in the vessel’s safety equipment, communications equipment or machinery that contributed to the wreck.
Vessel inspection
Golden Ray, built in 2017 had last been inspected by the Coast Guard in May 2019, roughly four months before the ship capsized.
Hurricane Dorian a reason?
The Golden Ray overturned in the sound between St. Simons and Jekyll Islands. Because it’s both deep and wide, local harbour pilots who steer ships into port and back to sea prefer that stretch for passing oncoming vessels, said Bruce Fendig, a senior member of the Brunswick Bar Pilots Association.
Hurricane Dorian brushed the Georgia coast just a few days before the Golden Ray capsized. But harbour pilots found no damage or disruption to the waterway or its navigational buoys, Fendig testified. He said 12 other ships had safely navigated the channel between the storm’s passing and the Golden Ray’s departure.
“The storm really wasn’t that significant for us,” said Fendig, who was not the pilot aboard the Golden Ray.
About the Investigation
Hearing streamed live
The Coast Guard has blocked out more than a week to hear testimony in the port city of Brunswick.
As a precaution against coronavirus infections, the hearings are being streamed live online instead of allowing the public to attend in person.
Planned witnesses
Planned witnesses include the Golden Ray’s captain, the Georgia-based harbour pilot in charge of steering the ship when it capsized, and an executive of Hyundai Glovis, the shipping company that owns the vessel.
When to expect findings published?
It could take another year before investigators publish a report of their findings, with recommendations aimed at improving safety.
Plans to carve the ship
Separate from the investigation, a multiagency command has spent the past year making plans to carve the ship into eight giant chunks to be hauled away by barges.
For more information read our article [Watch] Giant Chain To Cut Capsized Cargo Ship With 4,200 Cars Aboard
Officials hope to begin the first cut sometime in October.
Did you subscribe to our daily newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe!
Source: YahooFinance
