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Four crew missing on capsized Georgia ship are alive, rescuers confirm Four crew missing on capsized Georgia ship are alive, rescuers confirm
(32 minutes later)
After drilling a hole through the hull of a cargo ship that overturned and caught fire off the Georgia coast, rescuers confirmed that all four missing crew members were alive. US Coast Guard rescuers found four South Korean crew members trapped inside a massive cargo ship by rappelling down the side and drilling a hole through the hull.
The Golden Ray listed heavily and then rolled over on its side early Sunday in St Simons Sound as it left the Port of Brunswick with a pilot and 23 crew members, bound for Baltimore with a load of cars. “The early indication is they are on board and OK,” Lt Lloyd Heflin said.
Capt John Reed of the US Coast Guard said 20 were safely evacuated before rescuers determined the smoke and flames and unstable cargo made it too risky to venture further inside. The 656ft (200-meter) vehicle carrier is now stuck in the shipping channel, its hull exposed and its deck empty, in view of beachgoers on the shoreline. Heflin said the rescue team was communicating with the trapped sailors through the hole they drilled, but getting them out remained quite challenging.
A Coast Guard helicopter was able to land on the side of the ship on Monday as part of the rescue effort. A rescue team heard noises from inside, the US Coast Guard said. The capsizing of the Golden Ray in Georgia’s St Simons Sound early on Sunday caused fires and smoke. While the flames were apparently out on Monday, the huge ship was listing at roughly 90 degrees, with more than 4,000 vehicles inside it.
Rescued crew members had been helping the US Coast Guard focus the search for their four missing mates. A South Korea foreign ministry statement said the crew members were alive and isolated inside an engine room. It said 10 South Koreans and 13 Filipinos had been on board, along with a US harbor pilot, when the ship began tilting over.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation. Coast Guard PO third class Ryan Dickinson told the Associated Press on Monday morning it was not clear if weather conditions caused the ship to lurch. Hurricane Dorian was already well beyond the Georgia coast, where it blew past last week before being downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone. The 656ft vehicle carrier was stuck in the shipping channel, closing the busy Port of Brunswick.
The coast guard said the overturned ship has not released any pollutants so far, but mitigation responses are ready in case they are needed. US Coast Guard crews lifted 20 people into helicopters on Sunday before rescuers determined the smoke and flames and unstable cargo made it too risky to venture inside. Rescuers were able to climb aboard on Monday after officials determined it was stable enough for a helicopter to land on the hull, Lt Kit Pace of the Coast Guard said.
The Golden Ray is flagged out of the Marshall Islands and was headed to Baltimore, according to the website vesselfinder.com. The ship’s registered owner is Hyundai Glovis, a South Korean company. The Coast Guard said it was notified of the capsized vessel by a 911 call at about 2am on Sunday. The cause remained under investigation. Hurricane Dorian was already well beyond the Georgia coast, where it blew past last week before being downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone.
The ship channel was closed to vessel traffic. The Coast Guard said the overturned ship had not released any pollutants so far, but clean-up efforts were ready if needed.
The ship is owned by Hyundai Glovis, which carries cars for automakers Hyundai and Kia as well as others.
Brunswick is one of the busiest US seaports for shipping automobiles. Nearly 614,000 vehicles and heavy machinery units moved across its docks in the 2019 fiscal year that ended on 30 June, according to the Georgia Ports Authority.
GeorgiaGeorgia
Water transportWater transport
US militaryUS military
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