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Cleanup operations continued Wednesday morning at the Port of Long Beach after a major incident involving the containership Mississippi, which lost an estimated 67 containers into the harbor Tuesday morning.
The incident occurred shortly after 9:00 a.m. at Pier G, where the 5,500-TEU, Portuguese-flagged vessel—owned and managed by a subsidiary of MPC Container Ships and chartered to Zim—was docked.
A Unified Command comprising the U.S. Coast Guard, Long Beach Fire Department, Long Beach Police Department, the Port of Long Beach, the Army Corps of Engineers, and commercial stakeholders has been coordinating the response.
According to officials, a small clean-air barge designed to capture vessel emissions was moored alongside the Mississippi at the time of the accident and sustained damage after being struck by falling containers.
No injuries have been reported, and port officials emphasized that no other terminals or operations have been affected. However, cargo handling at Pier G has been temporarily suspended until the area is deemed safe for dockworkers and personnel.
The Coast Guard has established a 500-yard safety zone around the vessel and is broadcasting hourly marine safety alerts to warn nearby traffic of hazards. Multiple vessels and aircraft have also been deployed to assess the situation and assist in recovery.
Authorities confirmed that the Coast Guard is leading the investigation into the cause of the incident.
