Cargo ship incident plunges containers into California waters, halting operations
Nearly 70 shipping containers tumbled off a ship and into the water at the Port of Long Beach on Tuesday morning when a cargo vessel listed to one side, damaging a clean air barge connected to the ship, U.S. Coast Guard officials said.
The incident occurred around 9 a.m. when containers aboard the vessel Mississippi began collapsing at the Pier G container terminal, according to Coast Guard officials. Officials said an estimated 67 shipping containers fell off the cargo ship and into the water at Pier G within the Port of Long Beach.
Several of the fallen containers struck a smaller clean air barge that was connected to the Mississippi at the time of the accident.
No injuries were reported, and operations at other terminals remained unaffected, Port of Long Beach spokesperson Art Marroquin said. However, cargo operations were temporarily suspended at Pier G while responders worked to ensure the safety of dockworkers and other port personnel.
A unified command was established, bringing together representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, Long Beach Fire Department, Long Beach Police Department, Port of Long Beach, Army Corps of Engineers, and commercial stakeholders. Multiple vessels and aircraft were dispatched to assess the situation.
The Coast Guard established a 500-yard safety zone around the Mississippi and began broadcasting hourly marine safety alerts to warn other vessels of navigation hazards, officials confirmed.
Aerial footage captured by ABC News' Los Angeles station, KABC, showed the Mississippi tilting to one side after two stacks of containers collapsed.
Officials urged non-responding personnel to stay clear of the area while the Coast Guard leads the investigation into the cause of the incident.
ABC News' Jenna Harrison contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
