An apparent accident involving a cargo ship at the Port of Long Beach left a mess in the ocean on Tuesday morning.
Aerial footage captured around 10:30 a.m. showed dozens of shipping containers in the ocean water along the coast at the port near Pier G. The vessel, identified as the “Mississippi,” arrived at Long Beach from southern China sometime within the 24 hours before the incident.
Port of Long Beach spokesperson Art Marroquin said in a statement that the incident occurred just before 9 a.m., and no injuries have been reported. Marroquin also said the cause of the incident is under investigation.
Approximately 67 containers spilled into the ocean, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Stunning images from the scene showed several containers toppled over on the rear of the Mississippi, as well as some that spilled over onto a smaller vessel, a clean air barge that was connected to the cargo ship.
It’s not yet clear what cargo the containers held. Operations have been temporarily suspended at the Pier G container terminal as responders work to secure the containers, according to Marroquin.
“Unified Command agencies have dispatched numerous vessels and aircraft to assess the situation and provide assistance,” said a news release shared by the Port of Long Beach. “The Coast Guard established a safety zone 500 yards around the Mississippi and is issuing marine safety broadcasts every hour to alert other vessels of the navigation and safety hazards. The Coast Guard is also leading the effort to determine the cause of the incident.”
Authorities with the Coast Guard, Long Beach Fire Department, Long Beach Police Department, Port of Long Beach and the Army Corps of Engineers were called to help with the ongoing investigation and assessment.
