Georgia Department Of Natural Resources News

The US Coast Guard presented public service awards to maritime partners for their actions during the Golden Ray capsizing and subsequent response during a ceremony at the Southeast Georgia Conference Center.The public service awards recognized each individual’s commendable actions that resulted in the preservation of life and mitigation of environmental hazards and economic impacts during the Golden Ray capsizing and grounding in St. Simon's Sound, Georgia, on Sept. 8, 2019.Rear Adm. Douglas Schofield, commander, Coast Guard Seventh District, and U.S.

Engineers are assessing the condition of the Golden Ray wreck and salvage equipment after a fire ripped through the overturned and partially dismantled car carrier outside the Port of Brunswick, Ga. on Friday.The fire broke out on Friday afternoon aboard the Korean-owned Golden Ray, which has been aground on its side in the St. Simons Sound outside the nation's second largest car carrier port since it capsized shortly after departing the Port of Brunswick in September 2019.Firefighting…

Authorities are working to track down the source of a recurring mystery sheen emanating from the bank of the East River in Brunswick, Ga.The U.S. Coast Guard said Friday its Marine Safety Unit (MSU) Savannah personnel have been conducting an investigation since February 2019 to identify the source of the sheen across multiple waterfront properties.Hard boom and absorbent materials have been placed around the discharge sites to recover any product that enters the water as the source of the sheen remains unknown at this time. MSU Savannah personnel are coordinating the investigation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Georgia…

The crew working to cut and lift sections of the capsized car carrier Golden Ray in Georgia's St. Simons Sound has resumed salvage efforts after suspending operations ahead of a tropical storm that traveled up the southern U.S. East Coast late last week.The team resumed operations to cut the first vessel section using the specialized heavy lift crane vessel VB 10,000 on Monday after the storm had passed and responders redeployed protective boom at the environmental protection barrier (EPB) surrounding the wreck site and at sensitive areas around St.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it has suspended its search Tuesday evening for a containership crewmember who went missing after he fell while transiting the gangway to the motor vessel Maersk Tukang in the Port of Savannah.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Charleston received the initial notification from the Georgia Port Authority at approximately 3 a.m., Tuesday, stating a man had fallen into the water and had not resurfaced.The man has been identified as Joe Williams, 70, who is from the greater Savannah area."Our thoughts are with the loved ones of Mr.

The a unified command team has completed the oil pumping of all accessible tanks from the M/V Golden Ray, a roll-on, roll-off car carrier that overturned near the Port of Brunswick in Georgia in September, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Salvage workers and divers gained access to 26 fuel tanks inside the Golden Ray, some of which were submerged and could only be reached by rappelling and conducting dive operations inside the wreck. Fuel was pumped from the tanks into a barge for proper disposal.

Rescue workers on Monday were planning to extract four missing crew members from a South Korean cargo vessel carrying about 4,000 cars to the Middle East that turned on its side off the coast of Georgia, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Helicopters rescued 20 crew members from the 656-foot (200-meter) Golden Ray on Sunday after it became disabled, began listing and eventually sat helplessly on its side in St. Simons Sound, near Brunswick, Georgia, the Coast Guard said in a statement.Salvage crews made contact with the missing crew members on Monday morning…

Four crew members are missing from a roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel that is disabled, overturned and has caught fire near Brunswick, Georgia, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Sunday.Twenty people have been safely removed from the ship, and the Coast Guard said it is working with local partners to locate the four crew still missing from the 656-foot vehicle carrier, MV Golden Ray, which began listing heavily and capsized with 23 crew and one pilot on board in St. Simons Sound early on Sunday morning.The Coast Guard said it was notified of the capsizing by a 911 call around 2 a.m.There were 4…

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) said in a news release that USCG boat and air crews are assisting the Georgia Department of Natural Resources in a search for survivors of a reported plane crash near Grant Creek on Mackay River, east of Golden Isles Aviation in St. Simons Island, Ga., Monday. According to the report, Coast Guard Sector Charleston watchstanders were notified at 7:10 p.m. of FAA reports of lost radar contact with a twin-engine plane carrying two people and subsequent reports from the public of crash-like noises near Grant Creek. A helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Savannah, Ga., and a boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Brunswick…

The Coast Guard Captain of the Port for Brunswick, Ga., has re-opened the port to deep-draft vessels Thursday at approximately 3:30 p.m. The captain of the port made the decision to re-open the port to deep-draft vessels after an Army Corps of Engineers depth survey that did not indicate any obstructions that might compromise the safety of additional deep-draft traffic. An initial damage assessment of the Centaurus Leader revealed a two inch wide by 22-foot long gash in the hull of the ship.

The Savannah-Chatham Police Marine Patrol has taken delivery of a 27-ft. Workskiff Harbor Security boat. The boat, obtained through a federal grant from the Transportation Security Administration, will be used to patrol the abundance of waterways throughout Chatham County, including security duty along the Savannah River waterfront. The Marine Patrol regularly patrols the local waterways, working with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the United States Coast Guard, providing harbor enforcement and providing an extra layer of security for Savannah's busy port. Accordingly, the Marine Patrol investigates waterway and marine-related accidents and/or crimes. The unit also enforces all the safe-boating laws of the State of Georgia.