Gigantic man-made machinery is always a sight to behold, and the Golden Ray Ship was part of that list. Just like there are powerful aircraft carriers, the Golden Ray ship is one of the powerful roll-on/roll-off vehicle carriers built by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in Ulsan, South Korea.

The Golden Ray had a cargo capacity of up to 7,400 cars, was 200 meters long with a beam of 35.5 meters and measured 71,178 gross tons and 29,995 deadweight tons. It had a massive 17,335 hp and was driven by a single diesel engine that gave it a sea speed of 23 mph with one propeller.

The Golden Ray was first laid in December 2015, was launched in August 2016, before being delivered in May 2017. While in service, it was owned by Hyundai Glovis.

The Fall

Golden Ray Ship fall (1)
Via: Youtube

Going about its normal activities and regular routes, on September 7, 2019, the Golden Ray eased into the Port of Brunswick after leaving Freeport, Texas. The Port of Brunswick happens to be one of the busiest auto ports in the US. It is a key distribution opening for the Kia plant in Georgia and the Hyundai factory in Montgomery, Alabama.

The Golden Ray offloaded 284 Kia Fortes and Hyundai Accents from two decks and 300 brand news Kia Tellurides were loaded off. The Golden Ray started from the harbor around 12:45 am on September 8, 2019, the next day. It had just traveled for under 30 minutes when it started to list.

The catastrophic listing slid the ship's stern out. Unknown to the pilot still trying to control the large carrier, the ship's rudder and propeller were already out of the water. Nothing at that point could stop the Golden Ray from going down.

The ongoing investigation by the US coast guards suggests that the ship had been loaded incorrectly in deck 5, and the opening of the hull door aggravated the capsize. The full conclusion of the investigation won't be reached till later in 2021.

As of the time of the capsize, the Golden Ray was on its way to the Port of Baltimore and had 4,200 cars onboard, consisting of Kia, GMC, Chevrolet, Mercedes-Benz, GM, and Ram vehicles that were bound for delivery in the Middle east.

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The Rescue

Golden Ray Ship rescue
Via: YouTube

The US coast guards responded in time and arrived first to help contain the fire that had broken out in a section of the Golden Ray. Out of the 23 crew members and the pilot on board, only 18 crew members were initially rescued with the captain and pilot of the ship. This left four crew members trapped in the engine room of the carrier.

The coast guards couldn't board the ship till they considered it safe to enter. The four crew members stayed 36 hours underwater before being rescued through a hole cut into the hull. While all crew members were eventually rescued, the Golden Ray was declared "a total loss" due to the saltwater corrosion, fire, and salvage cost.

Salvaging the Golden Ray kicked in immediately. The ship had 24 fuel tanks, all of which were almost full when it went down, holding up to 300,000 gallons of fuel. By September 27th, 2019, two fuel tanks had been pumped out.

In October, the company announced that the ship would be cut up and scrapped. The salvaging was carried out by T&T salvage, using the heavy lift vessel VB-10,000. The VB-10,000 was designed from its predecessor, the VB-4000, and it is the largest lift vessel built in the US. The floating barge crane has a length of 85m, a beam of 96m, and a tonnage of 10,116.

By December 2019, it was confirmed that all the fuel onboard had been removed. In February 2020, it was announced the ship would be cut into eight sections to be removed and disposed of shortly after salvage workers had to endure another fire within the vessel in January 2020.

The VB-10,000 arrived on the scene in late October 2020, and cutting started on November 6th, 2020. Some delays, including corona, contributed to the extended salvaging process for the Golden Ray. The first cut was completed in late November 2020. "Section 7" and "section 2" of the vessel were to be cut off on January 21st, 2021. The ship caught fire again on May 14th, during a cut-down.

"Section 3" was cut off in July, leaving the sections and two more cuts for the salvaging process to be completed. Salvaging operations are still currently ongoing and will likely be complete by the end of the year.

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The Loss Of The Golden Ray

Golden Ray Ship
Via: Pinterest

The Golden Ray was estimated to have been carrying $70-80 million in contents, while the initial estimate for the salvage operations was about $440 million. Later this figure was amended to $660 million. Currently, the cost has escalated to $788 million, as reported by The Insurer.

The Coronavirus delay, unforeseen circumstances, oil spillage prevention, and maintenance fees have all contributed to the spike in price. With some activities still left for the salvaging operation to be complete, it is expected that the total cost might still go up. The Unified Command overseeing the salvaging operations has declared that the Golden Ray extraction is the most costly salvaging operation in US history.

The Golden Ray's owner, Hyundai Glovis, and its insurer, a UK-based insurance company, currently bear the cost. It is reported that 13 insurance companies are collectively bearing the cost burden.

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