Four Missing On Capsized Cargo Ship As Fire Stalls Rescue Operations
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All right, we begin with breaking news. Four people are missing after a cargo ship capsizes off the coast of Georgia. The U.S. Coast Guard forced to suspend rescue efforts because of fire on board vessel. The coast guard says the 71,000 ton vessel capsized after leaving the port of Brunswick early this morning. The golden ray is believed to be carrying cars.</s>LT. LLOYD HOFLIN, U.S. COAST GUARD: So we're still conducting rescue operations. We have assets on scene. They continue to do what they can. It is a complex situation, so, you know, we're looking not just for the safety to be able to rescue the people that are on board but to also be able to provide safety for our crews. So, it's ongoing and we're looking it through as much of it as we can and we have everybody looking to try and solve this complex problem.</s>WHITFIELD: All right. Crews are working to stabilize the vessel with salvagers and the coast guard says they will resume operations once it is safe to do so. All right, joining me on the phone right now, Captain John Reed, Commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Charleston. Good you could be with me. Thank you so much. So why do you believe this vessel is listing? Did it hit something? What could have happened?</s>CAPT. JOHN REED, U.S. COAST GUARD COMMANDER (through phone): Good afternoon, Fredricka. Thank you very much for having us on. The cause of the exact nature of why it happened is still under investigation. And the investigators are here in Brunswick, mention that investigation with the help of the vessel's master, first mate, and their engineer. The coast guard continues to work with our partners to form a unified command here composed of federal state as well as the responsible party. That would be Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Coast Guard captain report here in Brunswick, as well as Gallagher Marine.</s>WHITFIELD: So Captain, we're looking at a few images. Some images it looks like it's more than listing that it's on its side. And then in another image we just saw, it is nearly upside down. So talk to me about the priorities here if there are four people missing but then at the same time you have to suspend rescue operations because of the fire on board. What are the priorities in tackling this accident?</s>REED: Yes, you bring up a great point, Fredricka. Obviously, as mentioned earlier in the broadcast, we had to suspend our search for the four persons on board as a fire started on board. And the vessel continued to be unstable. Our first priority is the safety of the responders as well as the public. And so doing that, once we are able to ensure their safety through securing the vessel and ensuring that it is stable by a salvager's (ph) assessment, we will then work through the possibilities of trying to get back on board and locate the individuals. The other outcome could be that it may be deemed more appropriate to go ahead and right the vessel and desmoke and dewater before we are able to actually get in there and locate the four individuals.</s>WHITFIELD: And how do you do that? How do you right a vessel of this size? What kind of equipment needs to be brought in, what kind of assistance?</s>REED: Yes. From my perspective, Fredricka, I will rely on the experts. And that is not our job. We're working closely with the responders from Donjon-SMIT who has been contacted by the company as part of their vessel response plan as well as the coast guard's salvage and engineering response team who will provide the captain of the port here, the expertise to go ahead and make the decisions and conduct the rescue.</s>WHITFIELD: So the rescue that did take place with the, you know, more than 20 crew members that were rescued, is that where the U.S. Coast Guard involved, and if so how did you do so?</s>REED: We were not dealing once involved though. Georgia Department of Natural Resources,</s>WHITFIELD: All right. Captain John Reed, you've got a huge undertaking there. We appreciate you being able take the time to bring us posted -- give us as much information as you could in the duration. Thank you so much.</s>REED: Thank you very much, Fredricka.</s>WHITFIELD: All right. Let me also bring in now retired Rear Admiral John Kirby, as we look at these images quite extraordinary that they were able to rescue 20, again, very extraordinary. But there are big concerns here with this vessel that is now on its side or nearly upside down. So what kind of apparatus would be brought in to help upright it? Or right the ship, as you say?</s>JOHN KIRBY, CNN MILITARY AND DIPLOMATIC ANALYST: I mean, you would need -- First of all, you'd have to control the flooding and to try to pump out as much water as possible to get that ship, you know, back upright again. And then that would probably require very, very, very heavy marine engineering equipment and seaborne cranes to help you with the leverage you would need to do that. That is a mammoth undertaking. And, you know, I'm not saying they wouldn't do that or couldn't do that. They certainly -- it could be done. But I don't think that looking at these photos and listening to the captain talk to you, Fred, that we're anywhere near sort of a decision yet on making that kind of an investment of resources.</s>WHITFIELD: Yes. A lot of decision making has to happen here. So this is nothing that's going to happen quickly within a matter of minutes. So what are we looking at? When you look at the size of this vessel and we understand there are cars, vehicles that were, you know, being transported that are on it.</s>KIRBY: Right.</s>WHITFIELD: And as you mentioned, you got all this apparatus. Are we talking about many days of decision making, of assessment?</s>KIRBY: Well, I think it's going to be really a function of minutes and hours right now as they try to deal with the immediate problem which is the fire on board and probably the advanced flooding that's still going on. And you have a concern over four human lives. So you're talking minutes and hours here today as they sort of try to make decisions about how do they best get to those individuals if they can? And then we're going to be talking days and probably weeks, Fred, when you're talking about actually salvaging this ship and getting it out of the waterway so it's not a hazard to navigation for future shipping as well. But the immediate problem is going to be that fire, then the flooding, and trying to get at those souls that are still remaining on board.</s>WHITFIELD: Yes, trying to get to those four still missing. And then talk to me about what potential environmental concerns there are in all of these?</s>KIRBY: Well anytime you have capsized like this, you're going to have environmental concerns. Just by nature of the fact that she's going to be carrying fuel oil on board and that fuel could leak into the waterways. This was a cargo ship carrying automobiles. So it's not quite as dangerous as if it was an oil tanker, per se. But clearly there's going to be environmental concerns. Not as drastic as it would be if it was a fuel ship. But clearly they're going to have to look at that. And then the other issue is, you know, how long is it going to be in the water in that location? Because the longer it stays, the more hazard to navigation it becomes to other shipping. And that could also cause environmental concerns going down the lane.</s>WHITFIELD: Of course, we were talking about a port, so lots of vessels coming in and out. So all of those operations potentially would have to be delayed if not suspended?</s>KIRBY: I think it depends on -- I mean, I'm not sure where on the map this is, Fred, this particular capsized ship. But clearly it was in a shipping lane. So you've got to expect that at least that part of the shipping lane is now obstructed. But I'm not familiar enough with the waterways. It's likely that there are alternative lanes. That commercial shipping can take in and out of the port that I suspect they'll be looking at now. But even just shifting over to alternative lanes or maybe just a half a lane that's left, you're still going to be running into a bottle neck. So it's going to take a lot of work by the port authorities here over the next days and weeks to make sure that they properly manage shipping in and out so that it continues as much as it can unabated. But that it's going to -- there's no question if there's going to be an effect on it that's going to be -- it's going to be slowed down. I can't imagine how that wouldn't be the case.</s>WHITFIELD: Right, of course. Prayers going out for the missing four crew members --</s>KIRBY: Absolutely.</s>WHITFIELD: -- with the efforts ongoing. Thank you so much Rear Admiral John Kirby.</s>KIRBY: You bet, Fred.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, still ahead, secret meeting canceled. President Trump calls off a peace talks with Taliban leaders U.S. soil at Camp David. What's behind this? Plus, Hurricane Dorian unleashed a week of death and devastation in the Bahamas. The work to restore that island nation is just beginning.