The capsized Golden Ray cargo ship (Source: Georgia Department of Natural Resources)

A Middle East-bound cargo ship, The Golden Ray carrying about 4,200 Hyundai and Kia motor vehicles capsized and caught fire near St. Simons Sound off the coast of Brunswick in Georgia.

A statement issued by the South Korean Foreign Ministry said a United States harbor pilot, 10 South Koreans and 13 Filipinos were on board when the ship began tilting over. It added that all the 24 people were later rescued and lifted into helicopters.

An official who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter disclosed that the cars on the ship included marques such as Hyundai Motors and Kia Motors.

The official also said: “We are making rescue of crew members as our top priority. After that we will investigate any damage on cargo.”

The Golden Ray, owned by Hyundai Motor’s Ocean Freight Logistics Company was built in 2017 and has a capacity to carry 6,933 vehicles.

A similar incident happened in 2006 when a North America-bound Cougar Ace cargo ship capsized near Alaska with $103 million worth of brand new Mazda cars.