- Golden Ray, the 656-foot long cargo ship that has been on its side in St. Simons Sound for the last five months, is getting ready to be moved.
- Apparently the procedure is going to make a good bit of noise, disturbing life near Georgia.
- The car carrier removal is expected to be completed by the height of the Atlantic basin hurricane season.
- Work to take place during the daylight.
- The ship is to be cut into 8 giant pieces each weighing 2,700 to 4,100 tons.
- The cutting is planned to be done with a giant diamond-cutting chain suspended from a lift vessel.
- Versabars’ unique VB-10,000 is a heavy lifting vessel equipped with a large diamond-encrusted cutting chain.
- Debris that falls to the sea floor are planned to be picked up with magnets or grabs.
The massive 656-foot long shipwreck is finally getting ready to move apparently with a lot of noise, reports CNN.
Why noise?
Finally, the Golden Ray, a 656-foot long cargo ship that has been on its side in St. Simons Sound for the last five months, is getting ready to be moved with apparently a good bit of noise disturbing life near Georgia.
No way to remove without noise
Kevin Perry of Gallagher Marine Systems said that there is no way to remove the Golden Ray without making noise.
“We appreciate everyone’s patience with the noise levels as we work to remove this wreck as quickly and safely as possible.”
Hammering sound
At a news conference Friday, he said the sounds will be like hammering from a construction site.
Expected completion time
Officials hope the car carrier removal will be completed by the height of the Atlantic basin hurricane season, which begins June 1.
The Golden Ray capsized September 8, and has been on its side and half submerged since.
Read more: Cargo Ship Flipped! Crew Missing
When is the removal work planned?
Placing of environmental barrier
After so many ways discussed, this removal method is planned to be started soon.
Read more: 6000 Tons Rock To Stabilize the Overturned Georgia Cargo Ship
Read more: “Parbuckling” To Remove Flipped Cargo Ship, Is It Environmentally Friendly?
The work to set up an environmental barrier will start in the middle of this month. According to officials, this work will only take place during the daylight.
Netting to stop debris
The final product will include a large floating boom to skim pollutants from the surface and netting to stop debris.
Below is the animated video of wreck removal.
Still holding 4,000 cars!
According to officials, the ship is to be cut into eight giant pieces each weighing 2,700 to 4,100 tons, with a giant diamond-cutting chain suspended from a lift vessel. The ship is still holding more than 4,000 cars.
24 hours non stop
John Maddox, Georgia Department of Natural Resources on-scene coordinator said the once sawing starts, it won’t stop, and it is estimated to take 24 hours for each cut.
“That means noise through the night during some periods.”
About VB-10,000 vessel
The VB-10,000 vessel will be an interesting addition to the view from shore. The Versabars’ unique VB-10,000 is a heavy lifting vessel equipped with a large diamond-encrusted cutting chain that will cut the wreck into large sections for removal by barge.
- It comprises two metal towers, about 240 feet tall, each connected to a barge and to each other at the top.
- A crane will remove the sections after they have brackets attached to the side, the vessel will move.
- The crane will put each section on a barge, which will take them to a recycling facility.
How are debris planned to be handled?
The sections will be wrapped to contain debris, T&T Salvage said in a presentation. Anything that falls to the sea floor will be picked up with magnets or grabs.
Did you subscribe to our daily newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe!
Source: CNN
