Page 4 - Aruba-today-15 Sept 2020

A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 15 sepTember 2020
Alarms, shouts recorded before ship overturned off Georgia

By RUSS BYNUM Fendig, a senior member of
Associated Press the Brunswick Bar Pilots As-
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — sociation.
Sailors shouted above blar- Hurricane Dorian brushed
ing alarms and other loud the Georgia coast just a
noises for several minutes as few days before the Gold-
the cargo ship Golden Ray en Ray capsized, but har-
listed to one side and final- bor pilots found no dam-
ly overturned a year ago age or disruption to the
along the coast of Geor- waterway or its navigation-
gia, according to an audio al buoys, Fendig testified.
recording played Monday He said 12 other ships had
during a government hear- safely navigated the chan-
ing on the shipwreck. nel between the storm's
The recording from the passing and the Golden
ship's black box was Ray's departure.
among the first pieces of "The storm really wasn't that
evidence U.S. Coast Guard significant for us," said Fen-
investigators presented on dig, who was not the pilot
the opening day of public aboard the Golden Ray.
hearings expected to last The Coast Guard has
more than a week. blocked out more than a
The South Korean-owned In this Sept. 9, 2019, file photo, a Moran tugboat nears the stern of the capsizing vessel Golden Ray week to hear testimony in
Golden Ray capsized with near St. Simons Sound off the coast of Georgia. the port city of Brunswick.
more than 4,200 automo- Associated Press As a precaution against
biles in its cargo decks coronavirus infections, the
shortly after departing the "Whoa!" says a man's voice have been sealed. tions equipment or machin- public is not allowed to
Port of Brunswick on Sept. less than a minute into the "We're aground at this point ery that contributed to the attend in person. Instead,
8, 2019. The ship, with its turn. Another man soon and the tide's coming in," a wreck. the hearings are being
cargo still inside, remains asks: "What's going on cap- man says on the recording. Built in 2017, the Golden streamed live online.
stuck at the edge of the tain?" He soon adds: "Captain, it's Ray had last been inspect- Planned witnesses include
shipping channel off St. Si- A series of loud, crashing best that we stay on the ed by the Coast Guard in the Golden Ray's captain,
mons Island, about 70 miles noises erupt, followed soon sandbar here... That way it May 2019 — roughly four the Georgia-based harbor
(112 kilometers) south of Sa- by alarms. Sailors can be doesn't sink in the sound." months before the ship pilot in charge of steering
vannah. heard shouting "Hard port!" It's unclear from the record- capsized. the ship when it capsized,
The audio played Monday and "Stand by anchor!" ing what caused the Gold- The Golden Ray overturned and an executive of Hyun-
accompanied an anima- About a minute after the en Ray to capsize. in the sound between St. dai Glovis, the shipping
tion that followed the ship's commotion begins, a voice Capt. Blake Welborn, the Simons and Jekyll Islands. company that owns the
course based on data from says: "We're on our side Coast Guard officer presid- Because it's both deep and vessel. It could take anoth-
the black box recorder. over here." ing over the hearings, said wide, local harbor pilots er year before investiga-
It appeared to show the After what sound like futile Monday that investigators who steer ships into port tors publish a report of their
Golden Ray entering a turn efforts to right the ship, a found no evidence of fail- and back to sea prefer findings, with recommen-
to its starboard side when voice asks if all watertight ures in the vessel's safety that stretch for passing on- dations aimed at improving
the chaos broke out. doors and compartments equipment, communica- coming vessels, said Bruce safety.q

EPA sides with farmers on ethanol, rejects refinery waivers

By DAVID PITT 54 exemptions retroactively, some keeping his word and supporting of fuel and petrochemicals used
Associated Press as far back as 2011, that would our farmers and biofuel produc- in many products.
Federal regulators on Monday have allowed the petroleum in- ers," Grassley said in a statement. While maintaining the ethanol
handed a victory to corn farmers dustry to remove hundreds of mil- Democratic Rep. Abby Finke- production levels, the EPA deci-
and the renewable fuels industry lions of gallons of corn-based eth- nauer agreed the EPA decision sion also is likely to bring an end to
by refusing to allow a group of pe- anol from the market. will help Iowa farmers but called the small refinery exemptions that
troleum refiners in 14 states to fore- Significant exemptions from the out the Trump administration for have plagued the ethanol indus-
go requirements to blend ethanol congressional requirement of approving previous waivers that try. If the decision isn't appealed
into the gasoline they make. blending at least 15 billion gal- removed 4 billion gallons of etha- or if it is upheld on appeal, only a
Members of Congress from farm lons of ethanol a year into the nol from production and waiting few small refineries would remain
states have heavily lobbied Presi- nations fuel supply began after "until 50 days before an election eligible for waivers, said Monte
dent Donald Trump to reject the Trump took office and appointed to finally take even this modest Shaw, executive director of the
waiver requests for months. Those Andrew Wheeler as administrator action." Iowa Renewable Fuels Associa-
representing oil-producing states of the Environmental Protection A petroleum industry group re- tion, a trade group.
supported the waivers, which Agency. sponse was critical of EPA and About 40% of the nation's corn
were originally designed to help By agreeing to reject the waivers Trump. crop is used for ethanol, mak-
small refineries that struggled fi- the Trump administration is essen- "The notion that this administration ing such decisions critical for the
nancially to meet federally man- tially fixing a problem it created. is 'following the rule of law' through economy of Iowa, the nation's
dated ethanol targets. In recent Congressional Republicans in- its latest betrayal of U.S. refinery leading corn and ethanol produc-
years, however, larger refineries cluding Iowa Sens. Joni Ernst and workers is laughable," said Chet er. Many farmers who grow corn
also have received exemptions Chuck Grassley nevertheless laud- Thompson, CEO of the American were early investors in the etha-
from the Trump administration. ed Trump for the decision. Fuel & Petrochemical Manufac- nol industry and have significant
The petroleum refiners had sought "I applaud President Trump for turers, a trade group for producers stakes in the industry.q