Salvors on the heavy-lift barge VB-10,000 have begun making the second cut through the hull of the stranded car carrier Golden Ray which rolled over in shallow water shortly after departing the Port of Brunswick, Georgia on St. Simons Sound in September 2019.
The 656-foot-long ship is now 114 feet shorter after the VB 10,000 cut off the vessel’s bow section on Nov. 28. The first cut that was originally expected to take a few days, took three weeks after being delayed by weather, the pandemic, and a broken link in the cutting chain.
To expedite the second cut, salvors have made preliminary cuts along the expected path of the cutting chain, and divers have drilled additional holes into the bottom of the hull in order to accelerate drainage when the section is hoisted out of the water.
If they made more perforations they could just tear it off like a postage stamp.
Why did they not use the carbide-encrusted cutting cable system that was proven to be effective in the cutting up of the Tricolor in 2004?
It is merely a hunch Jean-Pierre Declemy. Cost
I am not sure why a diamond encrusted chain rather than a tungsten carbide encrusted cable. I wonder whether it is related to the “Golden Arches” original design to remove old drill rigs.
@Willy …and there was me expecting a long winded technical explanation haha!
I can just imagine at the management meeting: “That TCEC (they always use acronyms) is mighty expensive but we’ve got a mess of old anchor chain lying in the yard” “yep, we can still charge the same”
@Rick … I expect they already decided Rhinestones wouldn’t work.
My apologies for abusing the American vernacular, I was brought up on a diet of Beverly Hillbillies and Mr Ed.
Cable would have worked faster I believe, but set the profit margin down.