Classification
- Incident Type: Capsize not girding
- Severity: High
- Region: United States
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Vessel Name | Golden Ray |
| Vessel Type | Ro-Ro / Car Carrier |
| Flag State | Marshall Islands [MH] |
| IMO Number | 9775816 |
| MMSI | 538007762 |
| Call Sign | V7MB9 |
| Gross Tonnage | 71178 |
| LOA (m) | 200 |
| Breadth (m) | 35.4 |
| Year Built | 2017 |
| Crew and pilot aboard | 24 |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Date | 2019-09-08 |
| Location | St. Simons Sound, Brunswick River, near Brunswick, Georgia |
| Region | United States |
| Coordinates | 31.1500, -81.4915 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 2 |
| Missing | 0 |
| Vessels Lost | 1 |
| Cargo Loss | 4,067 vehicles |
| Direct Damage | Significant fire, flooding, and saltwater-corrosion damage; vessel declared a total loss. |
| Economic Damage | USD 204.5 million (USD 62.5 million vessel loss; USD 142 million cargo loss). |
Key facts
- Golden Ray capsized at about 01:37 EDT during a starboard turn while transiting outbound from the Port of Brunswick.
- The vessel had 23 crew and one pilot aboard. Two crewmembers suffered serious injuries; the other 22 people aboard were not injured.
- Responders rescued the pilot and 19 crewmembers on the first day. Four engineering crewmembers were rescued from inside the vessel on 9 September, nearly 40 hours after the accident.
- The NTSB declared the vessel a total loss and estimated the vessel loss at USD 62.5 million and the cargo loss at USD 142 million.
Narrative
On 8 September 2019, Golden Ray departed the Colonel's Island Terminal in Brunswick, Georgia, for an outbound transit with a state pilot aboard. The vessel proceeded through the Brunswick River toward St. Simons Sound. At 01:36:39, while making the starboard turn into Plantation Creek Range, the pilot ordered starboard 20 at a speed of 13.3 knots. Seconds later, the vessel began to heel rapidly to port. Rudder, bow-thruster, and reverse-engine orders did not stop the heeling. At 01:40:18, Golden Ray grounded outside the channel with a list of about 60 degrees and later settled on its port side at about 90 degrees.
The portside pilot door and other watertight doors on deck 5 were open, allowing water to enter the vessel and blocking the primary escape route from the engine room. Responding tugs stabilized the vessel against the bank while Coast Guard, pilot-boat, helicopter, and local emergency crews evacuated the pilot and 19 crewmembers. Four engineers remained trapped in the engine and engine-control rooms. Responders cut access into the hull on 9 September and rescued all four. Two crewmembers sustained serious injuries. Fire, flooding, and saltwater corrosion caused significant damage, and the vessel was declared a total loss.
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|
| 2019-09-07 05:10 | Golden Ray departed Jacksonville for Brunswick with 4,067 vehicles aboard. |
| 2019-09-07 17:36 | The vessel docked at Colonel's Island Terminal; cargo operations were completed by about 23:30. |
| 2019-09-08 00:30 | The pilot boarded for the outbound transit. |
| 2019-09-08 01:36:58 | Golden Ray began to heel to port during the starboard turn. |
| 2019-09-08 01:40:18 | The vessel grounded outside the channel with about a 60-degree port list. |
| 2019-09-09 | Responders rescued the four trapped engineering crewmembers by cutting access into the hull. |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|
| Incorrect stability calculation | Confirmed finding | The NTSB found that the chief officer entered ballast-tank levels incorrectly in the LOADCOM stability program, leading to an incorrect determination of the vessel's stability. |
| Insufficient operator oversight | Confirmed finding | The operator lacked effective procedures to verify officers' stability calculations before departure. |
| Open watertight doors | Confirmed finding | The NTSB found that open doors on deck 5 allowed flooding and blocked the primary escape route from the engine room after the vessel heeled. |
Investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the accident in Marine Accident Report NTSB/MAR-21/03. The NTSB determined that the probable cause was the chief officer's ballast-quantity entry error, which led to insufficient righting energy during the turn. The Board identified the operator's lack of effective stability-verification procedures as a contributing factor and issued two safety recommendations concerning stability verification and watertight-door procedures.
References
Similar incidents
