Crews report new discharge from Golden Ray in St. Simons Sound

ByJennifer Lifsey|October 1, 2019 at 8:39 AM EDT - Updated October 1 at 8:58 AM

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. (WTOC) - The St. Simons Sound Incident Unified Command says there has been another discharge of fuel from the Golden Ray.

On Monday, the United States Coast Guard, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and Gallagher Marine Systemsshared images from the shipwhere streaks of oil can be seen in the Saint Simons Sound. They say divers went under the capsized ship Monday to find the source of the leak while skimming vessels were out to separate the oil from the water.

Crews have also put out more oil boom to limit how far the oil spreads and keep the shore safe.

One of the men in charge of the cleanup efforts released a statement regarding the leak.

“The Unified Command has maintained a posture to be able to rapidly respond to any discharges from the vessel, including by skimming, booming, and shoreline cleanup,” said Chris Graff of Gallagher Marine Systems. “We’re now using these preparations to implement a rapid and thorough cleanup of impacted areas.”

Meanwhile, the Coastal Health District has changed the public advisory status for St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island beaches from “green” to “yellow” in response to the new release of pollutants.

The public advisory status for St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island beaches has changed from “green” to “yellow” in...
Posted byCoastal Georgia Public Healthon Monday, September 30, 2019

Members of the public are reminded to not touch oil or attempt to rescue oiled birds or wildlife. They should instead report any sightings of oil to (800) 424-8802 and report any oiled wildlife to (800) 261-0980.

Previous stories on the Golden Ray:

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Photo: United States Coast Guard


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