Technical glitches mar opening of Golden Ray hearing

(BRUNSWICK, Ga.) — Shouting followed by a continuous alarm provided the most dramatic moments in the first day of a Coast Guard hearing Monday into the cause of last year’s capsizing of the vehicle carrier Golden Ray in St. Simons Sound, FreightWaves reported.

The audio recording recovered from the roll-on/roll-off vessel lasted for several minutes and was played Monday as part of the first exhibits at the hearing in Brunswick. Golden Ray ran aground and capsized while departing the Port of Brunswick on Sept. 8, 2019. Four of the 24 crewmembers of the Hyundai Glovis car carrier were trapped for more than 30 hours before being rescued through a hole cut into the hull.

Capt. Blake Welborn, the Coast Guard’s lead investigating officer, said Monday that the hearing will determine, in part, the cause of the accident, adequacy of the ship’s safety management system, and whether there was any misconduct or negligence related to the capsizing or response.

Monday’s hearing adjourned early because of what Welborn called “several technical difficulties.” The media and public had complained they could not hear testimony given during the livestreamed hearing.

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By Professional Mariner Staff