The “Mississippi” lost part of its cargo in the port of Long Beach. The containers are now to be salvaged. Emergency services reported leaking fuel.
On Tuesday, several containers collapsed on board the “Mississippi” and parts of the cargo fell into the water. Salvage work has now begun, initially to clear a channel to allow ships safe passage to and from the scene of the accident (Pier G) in the port. Members of the Unified Command – comprised of federal, state and local agencies and representatives of the vessels involved – met again Wednesday at the Port of Long Beach’s Joint Command and Control Center to conduct incident response operations.
According to official figures, the number of containers that fell into the water has now risen from 67 to 75. Two were recovered from the bottom of the harbor basin on Wednesday. One person is said to have been slightly injured. In addition, the emergency services reported that fuel had leaked from the emissions control vessel (clean air barge) damaged in the accident, which was lying next to the cargo. It was reportedly bunkered with 2,000 gallons (approx. 7,500 liters) of renewable diesel at the time of the accident.
“Mississippi” sails for Zim
Cargo operations in the port were largely unaffected by the incident, with the exception of a 465 m wide safety zone around the “Mississippi”. The ship had arrived from China and was carrying 2,412 containers. It sails under the Portuguese flag and has been chartered by the Israeli shipping company Zim, which has already pledged its cooperation. It is owned and operated by MPC Container Ships.
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson assured the public on Wednesday that authorities were aware of the severity of any disruption to the flow of cargo at the Port of Long Beach, the second largest seaport in the US. “We are grateful that no one was injured and everyone, especially our longshoremen, are safe after the container incident at Pier G,” Richardson said. “While incidents like this are extremely rare at the Port of Long Beach, they underscore the importance of protecting our employees, first responders and the public. Our focus remains on a full recovery and supporting the U.S. Coast Guard’s thorough investigation.”
“Many unknown variables”
“The situation remains dynamic and there are many unknown variables,” said Capt. Stacey Crecy, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Los Angeles-Long Beach Sector. “However, we have contingency plans in place and are working with the goal of restoring all port activities as quickly and safely as possible. I greatly appreciate the close cooperation and coordination with our partners and the work of all members of the Unified Command to minimize the impact to the port.
The Port of Long Beach – one of the largest in the US – has 22 cargo terminals, six of which are dedicated to container handling. Mario Cordero, CEO of the port, assured that the recovery operations are being conducted with caution and that they are working to resume operations at Pier G as soon as possible. “We thank everyone involved for their quick response – firstly the workers and companies directly on the docks serving the vessel, and then all the authorities who were deployed to protect lives, safety and commerce.”
The investigation to determine the cause of the accident is being led by the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board. The Unified Command continues to conduct sonar investigations to locate approximately 25 to 30 containers sunken in the harbor. The recovered containers have been moved to a designated, cordoned-off area. (JW)
