Workers coming to the Georgia coast to cut apart and remove a giant cargo ship that overturned a year ago will be sequestered at a nearby resort, which will close to the public for up to four months, in an effort to prevent coronavirus infections among the salvage team.
Tuesday marked a year since the South Korean freighter Golden Ray capsized off St. Simons Island soon after leaving port on Sept. 8, 2019. Experts determined the ship was too badly damaged to be floated out intact, so they plan to slice it into eight massive pieces for removal by barge.
Cutting on the ship had been scheduled to begin in late July, but was delayed after nine workers tested positive for COVID-19. The multi-agency command overseeing the salvage opted to delay until after August and September, typically the most active months of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Read this story now for free
To continue reading, sign up for our newsletter and get unlimited access to WABE.org
You can select your preferences for news and local content. We will never share your email address. Learn how your newsletter sign-up will support WABE and Public Media
