On the Port of Long Beach, over 60 shipping containers fell off a cargo ship disrupting the operations of one of the busiest ports in the U.S.
The accident took place approximately 9 a.m. local time on the MSC Mississippi, a Portuguese-flagged vessel that just arrived from Yantian, China.
Shocking media footage revealed containers piled atop each other falling off the moored vessel, several hitting an anti-pollution barge, the Stax 2, which was docked next to it.
The U.S. Coast Guard reported that approximately 67 containers of Chinese products including shoes and electronics etc. fell in the water.
There were no injuries reported.
However, to ensure safety the Pier G container terminal was temporarily shut down because the crews were trying to stabilize the fallen containers and evaluate the damage.
The incident highlights significant issues of port security and possible disruptions to the supply chain since the neighbouring ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles handle 40 percent of all North American imports in a containerized trade. A cause-and-effect inquiry into the cause of the collapse is underway.
