Georgia Officials Working to Contain, Clean Up Oil Spill From Wrecked Cargo Ship

US Coast Guard personnel stand guard over bundles of seized drugs in front of the Cutter Bertholf on September 10, 2020 in San Diego, California. Several Georgia officials, including the Coast Guard, are working to contain and clean up an oil spill from a wrecked cargo ship off the coast.

Officials in Georgia are still working to clean up an oil spill from an overturned cargo ship being dismantled over the weekend.

The Golden Ray freighter from South Korea capsized in September 2019 near the shore of St. Simon Island. Salvage crews began cutting up the ship for removal nine months ago.

However, officials believe that oil had collected in the ship's ballast tank and gushed out of the ship when teams lifted cut sections from the water Saturday.

According to a command team spokesperson, a second attempt to lift a newly cut section Monday morning caused another leak.

"We have oil recovery operations happening on the water and oil recovery happening on the beach," Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Himes told the Associated Press. "We have slowed down and restricted the lifting and removal of Section 6 to very special conditions to limit any further discharges."

While crews managed to contain much of the leak, some oil reached popular tourist destinations along the shoreline.

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Georgia Officials Working to Contain, Clean Up Oil Spill From Wrecked Cargo Ship

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