Nearly 70 shipping containers loaded with clothing, furniture, shoes, and electronics toppled from the cargo vessel Mississippi at the Port of Long Beach this week, prompting an urgent investigation into the cause of the mishap.
The incident occurred Tuesday morning around 9 a.m. as the ship was berthed at Terminal G. According to port spokesperson Art Marroquin, a total of 67 containers ended up either in the harbor or on the dock. He described the cargo as “general goods.”
No injuries were reported, though operations at the port were temporarily halted and resumed by Wednesday. The fallen containers also damaged a smaller clean-air barge that had been connected to the Mississippi at the time.
The U.S. Coast Guard, along with the Long Beach Police and Fire departments, assisted in salvage operations. A 500-yard safety zone was established around the vessel, and hourly broadcasts were issued to warn nearby ships of potential hazards.
The Coast Guard has launched a preliminary investigation but has yet to release details. Port officials referred to the incident as an “accident” but declined to elaborate.
Ship-tracking data indicates the Mississippi sails under a Portuguese flag and last docked in China two weeks ago.
The accident comes just days after the Port of Long Beach was recognized as the “Best West Coast Seaport in North America” for the seventh consecutive year by Asia Cargo News. The port is one of the busiest in the nation, handling more than nine million 20-foot containers annually from about 2,000 vessels representing roughly a quarter of all container traffic on the West Coast.
Source: Los Angeles Times
The incident occurred Tuesday morning around 9 a.m. as the ship was berthed at Terminal G. According to port spokesperson Art Marroquin, a total of 67 containers ended up either in the harbor or on the dock. He described the cargo as “general goods.”
No injuries were reported, though operations at the port were temporarily halted and resumed by Wednesday. The fallen containers also damaged a smaller clean-air barge that had been connected to the Mississippi at the time.
The U.S. Coast Guard, along with the Long Beach Police and Fire departments, assisted in salvage operations. A 500-yard safety zone was established around the vessel, and hourly broadcasts were issued to warn nearby ships of potential hazards.
The Coast Guard has launched a preliminary investigation but has yet to release details. Port officials referred to the incident as an “accident” but declined to elaborate.
Ship-tracking data indicates the Mississippi sails under a Portuguese flag and last docked in China two weeks ago.
The accident comes just days after the Port of Long Beach was recognized as the “Best West Coast Seaport in North America” for the seventh consecutive year by Asia Cargo News. The port is one of the busiest in the nation, handling more than nine million 20-foot containers annually from about 2,000 vessels representing roughly a quarter of all container traffic on the West Coast.
Source: Los Angeles Times