The notorious MV Golden Ray cargo ship is currently undergoing dismantling, with the process involving a massive chain. The vessel was carrying about 4,200 vehicles bound for the Middle East, including units for sale and others for transport. These operations came to a halt when the ship listed over near the Brunswick port in Georgia and settled on the seabed, prompting the ongoing salvage efforts.
Recent revelations regarding the reasons behind the ship’s capsizing have emerged, with Car and Driver reporting that a forensic report from the Coast Guard seeks to analyze the incident. Among various factors outlined, a significant issue was the ship’s top-heavy load. When the ship docked in Brunswick, lighter Kia Fortes and Hyundai Accents were removed and replaced with Kia Tellurides, which are considerably heavier. The ship’s instability was exacerbated by the lack of ballast water, as 1,500 tons had been discharged, while the heavier SUVs were loaded onto the ship’s 12th deck, above the 13 total decks.
Lt. Ian Oviatt, a naval architect with the US Coast Guard, testified that the Golden Ray was likely unstable even before it capsized in St. Simons Sound due to either excessive cargo distributed high, or insufficient liquid ballast maintaining a low center of gravity. As mentioned, the release of 1,500 tons of ballast in transit from Freeport, Texas to Georgia, coupled with the increased weight of the Tellurides—each weighing 1,200 pounds more than the compact vehicles they replaced—probably played a substantial role in the incident.
“The vessel could have taken on more ballast to comply with the 2008 Intact Stability Code, or the cargo could have been repositioned for a lower vertical center of gravity,” Lt. Oviatt noted.
More specific information about the vehicles on board and their loading positions has become available through a loading diagram. A significant number of Tellurides are visible near the upper deck, likely contributing to the ship’s instability.
The team dismantling the ship is preparing to resume cutting; however, the timeline for the next cut remains uncertain. The initial cutting attempt faced multiple delays, including a broken chain that needed fixing at least once. It is possible that more images of the wrecked vehicles will not emerge until next year, as several more cuts are required, so stay tuned for updates.
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