More than 60 shipping containers fall off cargo ship into water at Port of Long Beach
LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- More than 60 shipping containers fell from a cargo ship, many of them into the ocean, on Tuesday morning in the Port of Long Beach.
According to a statement from the port, dozens of containers fell from the vessel Mississippi just before 9 a.m. while it was berthed at the Pier G container terminal.
No injuries were reported, but the mishap forced the temporary suspension of cargo operations at Pier G.
AIR7 flew over the port on Tuesday afternoon, where crews were working to remove the dozens of containers from the water. Crews were also working to stabilize the ship. Hours after the initial shipping containers fell, even more containers toppled on the port side.
The concern is that many more containers currently tilted on the ship could also topple overboard.
Officials with the Port of Long Beach said the Mississippi was coming from China and had a full load of goods ranging from shoes to clothing to electronics going to numerous stores throughout the U.S., such as Costco, Target, Walmart and small mom-and-pop stores. Many of the retailers may have lost their items in the mishap.
The officials said that after the ship came into port and crews started to release the straps holding the containers down, they started to fall into the water, sparking the domino effect.
Eyewitness News obtained video of the moment the cargo containers first fell off the ship like dominoes just before 9 a.m. The rumbling sound of the falling containers set off alarm bells for the ship's crew and work crews on the ground.
Nearly two dozen containers plunged into the ocean at Pier G. Even more toppled over on the dockside. Officials say at this point, they have lost 67 containers, but it's unclear how many more could possibly fall as the situation remains unstable onboard the ship.
AIR7 video captured merchandise like sandals and apparel floating in the ocean.
Port police arrived on boats, spraying the area with water to keep the containers from floating away.
"We are still investigating the cause and why the containers fell off the ship. Some fell into the water, some are on the terminal property, and we're just working to stabilize everything," said Art Marroquin with the Port of Long Beach. "Tomorrow morning, the Unified Command is going to discuss how to start salvage operations, and we are not clear on how long it's going to take, but we are working as fast as we can to clear it up."
"I would say one or two would be an accident, you know, just getting a little too fast with the crane, but something like this is probably a major error somewhere," said Richard Folkes, a port iron worker.
Eyewitness News video captured even more cargo containers sliding off the ship, smacking into the ground at the port, several hours after the first containers became dislodged.
Port officials mobilized to undergo a headcount for the ship's crew to ensure they were all accounted for and safe. Fortunately, officials say they are all accounted for.
Eyewitness News spoke to a worker at the port who says he has never seen anything like this in his 35 years at the port. He said investigators are eyeing the possibility of a balancing issue with the ballast inside the ship. The ship was listing when the cargo containers started to spill over.
At last check, some of the containers were still floating and were being kept in the area by buoys in the water. Others have sunk and will have to be recovered.
1 comment:
That's OK. Crocodiles can swim pretty good.
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