The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its report of the investigation into the capsizing of the Golden Ray vehicle carrier on Tuesday. Coming out nearly 2 years to the day of the wreck just off the coast of Saint Simons Island, the report found a chief officer’s entry error of ballast quantities into a stability calculation program led to a series of problems that ultimately ended with the 660 ft-long carrier wrong-side up.
(Photo credit: U.S. Coast Guard)
As it turns out, operating a ship more than the length of two football fields, carrying 4,300 vehicles is a very technical task and a mistake can be compounded to disastrous results. All of the 23 person crew and the pilot on board were rescued, including four engineers who were trapped in the vessel for almost two days. Two of the crew sustained serious injuries and the ship itself was eventually declared a total loss, estimated at $62.5 million. Those more than 4,000 vehicles and other cargo added up to further losses of $142 million.
Additionally, after the capsizing, open watertight doors that should have been closed allowed flooding into areas of the vessel, blocking the exit for those engineers trapped in the engine room.
“The circumstances of this accident show that even when transiting in protected waters, watertight integrity is critical to the safety of the vessel and its crew,” the report said. “It is essential that the operator ensure that crews verify that all watertight doors are closed in accordance with safety management system procedures.”
The investigation compiled a mind-boggling amount of information, including more than 1,700 pages of interviews, photographs and other investigative materials.
“This report underscores how lucky we are to have had Captain Jonathan Tennant on board that night,” said Representative Buddy Carter (R-1 GA). “Without his swift action and that of the first responders from the U.S. Coast Guard and Brunswick’s maritime community, it’s clear the capsizing of the Golden Ray could have had an even more devastating impact on life, the environment, and our economy. I’m sure I’m not alone in saying I won’t miss seeing the ship’s wreckage, but I’ll always be proud of the way the Golden Isles stepped up to respond.”
That potential environmental damage was a major concern following the wreck. The ship had 24 fuel tanks, almost all of which were full when it capsized being so soon out of port – less than 40 minutes. In total, the NTSB report details that the vessel contained a total of 891 metric tons of heavy fuel and 321 metric tons of diesel fuel.
The salvage team – which would eventually become the scrap team – even traveled to Chile to examine the sister ship, the Silver Ray, to better understand the internal layout. Costs of the salvage operations are being by paid the Golden Ray’s owner, Hyundai Glovis, and have been reported to be nearly $800 million.
Despite their best efforts, there have been reported fuel leakages, leading officials to warn beach goers and fisherman about possible fuel in the water. And of course, just like everything else, the salvage/scrap operation was hit by Covid-19, causing personnel issues and new protocols to be put in place.
To see the full report from the NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/MAR2103.pdf
