Brunswick: a large number of oils have escaped from the barrier after being released while the crew dismantled upside down cargo ships along the coast of Georgia, said the coast guard on Thursday.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Class 2 Michael Himees said it was difficult to estimate how much oil was leaked, but he had affected swamp grass along the coastline.
The crew watched the leak around 8 am while cutting the fifth part of Golden Ray, which was reversed in September 2019 with around 4,200 cars in the cargo deck.
About half the ship partly sank from St Simons Island, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Savannah.
Himes says changes can push oil through the barrier around the ship.
“This is an unfavorable consequence of eliminating accidents in this kind of environment,” Himes said.
The demolition crew began working in November to remove the ship by cutting it into eight giant chunks and placing it on the barge.
Officials hope to be able to complete work in January, but many problems have caused delays.
Most of the fuel on the ship was sucked from the tank long before the demolition began, but Himees said officials knew there was a potential for additional leaks.
The crew in June also cleaned the oil from the ship that escaped from the environmental protection barrier.
This leak looks worse, said Fletcher Sams, with environmental groups, Altamaha River Guard.
“We saw Sheen everywhere,” he said.
“It’s a lot of fuel.”
Beach guard: ‘big’ oil leak during the demolition of the Georgian ship
