4,000 Hyundais Have Been Trapped Aboard This Cargo Ship Since 2019

Back in 2019 — those simple, care-free times — a 656-ft (200 meter) carrier cargo ship called the MV Golden Ray started listing only 23 minutes after its departure from the Port of Brunswick on September 8.

The ship eventually capsized and while there were thankfully no casualties, the MV Golden Ray was carrying 4,200 Hyundais inside. Right now, that expensive cargo is going nowhere and we think you can guess why.

RELATED: FRANCE TRIES TO CONTAIN OIL SPILL AS 2000 CARS, FREIGHTER SINK OFF COAST

At 106 feet wide and with a capacity of 20,995 deadweight tons, dismantling the MV Golden Ray was never going to be an easy task. According to NPR, crews started making preparations to go to the sight and start carefully scrapping the ship.

As with so many other things in 2020, this has now been put on pause due to COVID-19, Freight Waves, a shipping industry news site, reports.

Picture I just got from a friend vacationing on the Georgia coast. Remember that big car carrier that tipped over last September with 4,000 Hyundais on board? It's still there. pic.twitter.com/RUjHRi1nLE

— Mark Schirmer (@MarkSchirmer1) August 12, 2020

Unfortunately, the group in charge of the dismantling had 10 responders test positive with COVID-19, meaning that 50 responders had to quarantine due to contact tracing.

What's more, with hurricane season in the area fast approaching, further setbacks would be likely to occur — hence things being put on hold until October. As the dismantling could potentially expose the environment to damaging chemicals, once it has begun it is important that it is not put on hold for a protracted amount of time.

When things finally do get underway a VB-10,000 twin-hull heavy-lift vessel — which was originally due to head to the site in mid-July — will use two 225-foot-tall gantry cranes to cut the Golden Ray cargo ship into eight large sections. Each of these will be lifted onto a barge and transported to a recycling facility in Louisiana for processing.