- The contractor representing the responsible party in the Unified Command’s response to the capsized Motor Vessel Golden Ray has donated 1,000 N95 respirator masks to first responders in Glynn County as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Gallagher Marine Systems is working in conjunction with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to make up the Unified Command.
Gallagher Marine Systems, part of the Unified Command charged with removing the capsized Golden Ray from St. Simons Sound, on Monday donated 1,000 respirator masks to first responders in Glynn County, Georgia, writes Kim Link-Wills for Freight Waves.
Donation of N95 masks
“When I heard Vice President Mike Pence’s plea for mask donations, I immediately called Gallagher Marine System’s senior leadership and pitched the idea of donating our excess supply of N95 masks,” said Chris Graff, the Incident Commander for the responsible party.
He added, “I knew we had a responsibility to act. The highest priority of the Unified Command is the safety of the community and responders. I felt it was our duty to give back to a community that has supported us so much throughout the response to the Golden Ray.”
Masks for the first responders
Unified Command personnel delivered 1,000 masks to Jay Wiggins, interim Chief of Glynn County Police and Director of Glynn County Emergency Management Agency, on March 23, 2020. These masks will be distributed to first responders in Glynn County, Ga.
“It will make a tremendous impact, these masks are just not available right now. Your donation makes sure these first responders have the availability to have a mask when they need it, this is for all of our public safety officers to include the sheriff’s department and local firefighters,” said Jay Wiggins.
Gallagher Marine Systems is working in conjunction with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to make up the Unified Command of the M/V Golden Ray response.
Golden Ray salvage
The Golden Ray remains on its side in St. Simons Sound. The 2017-built Golden Ray is 656 feet long and 106 feet wide and has a capacity of 20,995 deadweight tons.
There were no serious injuries reported in the capsizing of the Golden Ray. Four crew members who were trapped inside the car carrier were extracted from the ship on Sept. 9.
The Port of Brunswick did not reopen to commercial vessel traffic 24 hours a day until mid-November.
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Source: Freight Waves
