Overturned cargo ship could take months to move

JEKYLL ISLAND, Georgia -- A Coast Guard officer says it could take "weeks, if not months" to remove a cargo ship that overturned while heading to sea from a port on the Georgia coast.

Coast Guard Cmdr. Norm Witt told news reporters Tuesday that marine salvage experts are working on a plan to remove the 656-foot (200 meter) long Golden Ray from St. Simons Sound near the Port of Brunswick. Asked how that would be done, he said: "We don't have all the answers right now."

Meanwhile, Witt says the Coast Guard is trying to reopen the port to limited commercial traffic by Thursday - though he called that timeline "aggressive."

He also said some oil sheen has been spotted but "right now it's limited in scope."

The Golden Ray capsized in the sound early Sunday while carrying more than 4,000 vehicles. The cause isn't known. All 24 people aboard the cargo ship were rescued.