More than 60 cargo containers tumble into sea at California port
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Fallen shipping containers in the water near the Mississippi container ship at the Port of Long Beach in California on Sept 9.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
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LOS ANGELES – More than 60 cargo containers crashed into the water on the morning of Sept 9 when they toppled from a ship berthed at California’s Port of Long Beach, prompting the authorities to suspend operations at the terminal as crews worked to secure the scene.
“Authorities will lead the effort to determine the cause of the incident,” said Port of Long Beach spokesman Art Marroquin.
The US Coast Guard said it received reports of some 67 containers in the water. It is unclear what was in them, though local reports said shoes and clothing were seen floating in the water, and some containers appeared to have sunk.
Mr Marroquin said the containers fell from a vessel at around 9am at Pier G, one of six terminals at the port. The vessel was the Mississippi.
No injuries were reported, though a smaller clean air barge alongside the Mississippi was damaged by several fallen containers, according to a statement from the port.
Flexport, a shipping logistics firm, said in a statement that it is coordinating with carrier ZIM and port officials to identify impacted shipments and assist customers.
The Portuguese-flagged Mississippi, a post-Panamax vessel with a capacity of 5,550 twenty-foot equivalent units, arrived at the port shortly before dawn, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It departed from Yantian port in Shenzhen, China, on Aug 26. Bloomberg
