A nailbiting drama
reached its conclusion 9 September when Coast Guard and salvage crews
extracted the remaining four crew members who had been trapped
in the car carrier Golden Ray, which remains laid over on its side in St. Simons Sound near
Brunswick, Georgia.
The crew members were
transported by a Coast Guard Station Brunswick 45-foot Response Boat-Medium
boat crew to Glenn County EMS for further medical evaluation.
Extraction plan to safely rescue them
Salvage crews were
transported by Coast Guard to the vessel at 8:22 a.m. to assess the vessel’s
hull and at approximately 1 p.m., it was confirmed the remaining four crew
members were still alive inside the Golden Ray and an extraction plan was
developed to safely rescue them.
Three crew members were
safely extracted from the vessel at approximately 3 p.m. and the fourth and
final crew member was safely extracted at 5:50 p.m.
The crew members were
transported by a Coast Guard Station Brunswick 45-foot Response Boat-Medium
boat crew to Glenn County EMS for further medical evaluation,
Vessels not
authorized within 0.5 miles of the Golden Ray, which is laid over on its side.
The Port of Brunswick
Captain of the Port (COTP) has established an emergency safety zone in St.
Simons Sound. Vessels are not authorized within 0.5 miles of the Golden Ray,
which is laid over on its side.
Coast Guard crews with salvage crews to remove
the Golden Ray Coast Guard crews have shifted focus to
environmental protection and working with salvage crews to remove the Golden
Ray. Currently, they report no leaks from the vessel, only a light
residual sheen. Protective measures were put in to place after the initial
rescue. 
USCG photo |