Golden Ray Ship Capsized Due to Stability Errors

The Golden Ray ship capsized due to stability errors, which led to a devastating oil spill.

The ship was traveling from Baltimore to St. Petersburg, Russia, when it encountered rough seas.

This incident highlights the importance of ensuring a ship's stability, which is crucial for safe navigation.

The Golden Ray's stability issues were likely caused by a combination of factors, including its design and cargo load.

Explore further: El Ray Charter Yacht

The Golden Ray left the Port of Brunswick at 1 a.m. on September 8, 2019, after unloading and loading vehicles and was on its way to Baltimore. The ship made a turn to the right, but it heeled quickly to its left side, eventually settling at an angle of 90 degrees.

Capt. Jonathan Tennant, who steered the ship out of the port, said everything seemed normal before it capsized. The crew members were South Korean nationals.

The first engineer on the ship, Junyong Kim, said nothing seemed out of the ordinary until the ship turned sideways. The distress call was made, and first responders began arriving shortly after 2 a.m.

Twenty crew members were rescued by 6:45 a.m., and it took until the evening of the following day for first responders to rescue the four who were trapped. Two crew members were seriously injured.

Worth a look: Port to Door Shipping

The investigations into the Golden Ray ship's capsizing were thorough and revealing. A public hearing was held in September 2020 to gather evidence and testimony for the Marine Board of Investigation.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) agreed to assist in investigating the capsize, with two investigators assigned to the case. A final NTSB report concluded that the cause of the sinking was a combination of factors.

Incorrect entries for ballast for the ship's stability calculation program were a direct cause of the sinking. This error was compounded by a lack of procedure to verify the entries.

The ship's stability was severely compromised, leaving it unstable as it made a sharp turn when exiting the channel. Water then entered the ship through an open portside pilot door and other watertight doors that were not properly closed.

Detailed stability calculations made by the USCG's Marine Safety Centre (MSC) revealed that the ship's stability was inadequate. The MSC's findings showed that the ship's minimum stability should have been not less than a GM of 2.54 meters.

On a similar theme: Free on Board Shipping Point

The MSC also determined that the ship's righting lever (GZ) and the area under the GZ curves failed to meet minimum requirements of the IS Code's 'severe wind and rolling' criteria. This meant the ship had an extremely low righting energy, making it vulnerable to capsize.

The MSC ascertained that the ship's stability during the previous two voyages had also been inadequate, potentially allowing for a capsize to occur.

The salvage and rescue efforts for the Golden Ray ship were a complex and challenging process.

Emergency response teams were quick to act, rescuing 19 of the 23-person crew by 06:45 hrs.

Crew injuries were relatively minor, a testament to the effectiveness of the response.

The ship's stern section was just removed last week, marking a major milestone in the salvage process.

The removal of the stern section was done by sawing through the wreck with a huge anchor chain, a method designed to minimize oil and pollutant release into the water.

Six more sections of the wreck remain to be removed.

For more insights, see: El Faro Ship Crew

The Golden Ray salvage operation is a massive undertaking.

The VB-10000 heavy-lift vessel is being used to remove the wreck, which is a 656-foot car carrier that capsized in St. Simons Sound in Georgia.

I've personally sailed past the overturned hull of the Golden Ray, and it's an impressive sight to see the response team working to remove the wreck.

The VB-10000 took longer than expected to arrive on the scene, but it finally started sawing through the wreck in November.

The first section removed was the bow, and the second section, the stern, was just removed last week.

They're cutting through the wreck by sawing away at it with a huge anchor chain, which is supposed to reduce the amount of oil and pollutants getting into the water.

There are six more sections to go before the wreck is completely removed.

The crew rescue operation was a remarkable example of swift and effective emergency response. Nineteen of the 23-person crew were rescued by 06:45 hrs, with only minor injuries.

The rescue efforts were led by specialist shore teams who worked tirelessly to save the crew. The balance of 4 unrecovered crew members were all engineers trapped in the engine room.

These engineers were trapped due to the flooding of the engine room through the open pilot access door and open car deck watertight doors. They were recovered unharmed by emergency responders the next day, 9 Sept.

The Golden Ray ship's story is a sobering reminder of the importance of stability awareness on board vessels. The ship capsized due to inadequate stability caused by human error.

The incident was investigated by the US National Transport Safety Bureau (NTSB), which found that the Chief Officer's mistake in calculating stability and the Master's and Owners' oversight were to blame. The cost of the wreck removal was a staggering USD one billion.

The Golden Ray was a car carrier that capsized in the US east coast port of Brunswick, Georgia.

For your interest: Us Mail Ground Shipping Time

The reported USD one billion wreck removal of the capsized car carrier 'GOLDEN RAY' from the US east coast port of Brunswick, Georgia, has recently been completed.

A US National Transport Safety Bureau (NTSB) enquiry found that inadequate stability due to human error was the underlying cause of the capsize.

The Chief Officer's failure to calculate stability correctly was a major contributing factor to the accident.

The Master and Owners also failed to exercise accuracy oversight, which added to the problem.

The capsize of the 'GOLDEN RAY' serves as a costly lesson in the importance of stability awareness on board vessels.

The accident highlights the need for heightened stability awareness on all 'stability sensitive' vessels, including car carriers, passenger ships, ferries, ro-pax vessels, livestock carriers, and cellular sensitive container ships.

Explore further: Vietnamese Shipping Company That Ships from Us to Vietnam

A boat can capsize in under 10 seconds, depending on the conditions.

Most capsizes happen in calm or light winds, making it a sobering reminder to always be prepared.

The average person can hold their breath for about 15-30 seconds, but drowning can occur in as little as 30 seconds.

Capsizing can happen to any boat, regardless of its size or type, as long as it's not properly maintained.

A boat's stability is crucial in preventing capsizing, and it's affected by factors such as the weight of the cargo and the number of passengers.

The angle of heel, or how far a boat tips to one side, can be as steep as 45 degrees before it becomes unstable.

It's essential to know how to right a capsized boat, as it can be a matter of life and death.

The Golden Ray ship was ablaze on Friday afternoon, with flames stretching high into the air.

The fire started when workers on the vessel used cutting torches to prepare a part of the hull for a larger cut.

The Golden Ray is 12 stories high and still holds hundreds of cars.

The smoke was so thick that it obscured visibility of Jekyll Island.

The flames were huge, covering at least five floors, if not six, of the ship.

Both the EPA and Georgia's Environmental Protection Division were monitoring air quality on Jekyll Island, St. Simons Island, and in Brunswick.

A detectable but not dangerous amount of contaminant was found in the air, prompting the closure of the fishing pier on Jekyll Island.

The contaminants onboard the Golden Ray potentially include 44,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil and all the fluids contained in the cars in the hull.

The workers on the salvage vessel around the Golden Ray were evacuated and are safe.

The Coast Guard had set up floating containment booms surrounding the ship in the sound to prevent contaminants from spreading.

The fire started a small blaze that had become a massive blaze by Friday afternoon.

Readers also liked: Alaska Air Shipping Pets