JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A lawsuit was filed in federal court Wednesday by a group of commercial fishermen in Brunswick against the owner of the car carrier 'Golden Ray' and the company that salvaged the shipwreck.
The lawsuit names T&T Salvage, Hyundai Glovis (the owners of Golden Ray), GL NV24 Shipping Inc., G-Marine Services and Norton Lilly International.
The Golden Ray capsized on the morning of Sept. 8, 2019, in the St. Simon Sound in Georgia while heading out to sea. The ship was carrying 4,161 vehicles and an estimated 380,000 gallons of fuel in its tanks.
The wreck caused thousands of gallons to leak, causing oil spills. A large fire began during the salvaging of the shipwreck by T&T Salvage, the company that was hired by the ship's owners.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Brunswick on behalf of over thirty shrimpers, fishing guides and crabbers.
The suit claims that the “willful misconduct, malice, fraud” of those named caused environmental damage to the St. Simon Sound.
Altamaha Riverkeeper Fletcher Sams has been pushing for a Natural Resources Damage Assessment to get a better feel on exactly how the capsize affected the eco-system and a loss in tourism. "So we can quantify that and start coming up with a plan to restore the damaged resource," he said.
"I'm tired of cleaning dead bait,” Bennett’s Bait owner Sandra Marsh said.
Ever since the Golden Ray overturned in 2019, Bennett’s Bait owner Sandra Marsh has been feeling the effects.
“I’ve had so many shrimp die only because of oil and the chemicals that they put off in the river. I still have oil in my marshes,” Marsh said.
In the complaint, Marsh and other plaintiffs claim the defendants created a continuing nuisance by interfering with their ability to shrimp, crab, and travel through the sound because of debris. Marsh says she has tried everything to lessen the impacts.
“I keep buying them and keep throwing them away. I mean, it's just overwhelming. I had yet to build a new box. We put a filter in there so it was filtering the oil at all times,” Marsh said.
Marsh says even though she is running out of options to keep her business a float, she says she won’t let this get in her way.
“We've been here for 69 years, we’re going to stay right here,” Marsh said.