Dozens of shipping containers plunged from a cargo ship into waters at a southeastern California port on Tuesday morning, according to officials, who said a unified command center has been erected to respond.
An estimated 67 shipping containers fell from the Mississippi on Tuesday morning. Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard/Release UPI Authorities in Long Beach on Tuesday were responding to dozens of shipping containers that fell from a cargo ship into the sea. Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard/Release UPI No one was injured in the Tuesday incident, and the U.S. Coast Guard was leading the investigation into its cause. Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard/Release UPI A clean-air barge attached to the Mississippi vessel was damaged by falling containers, officials said. Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard Northern California/X UPI
Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Dozens of shipping containers plunged from a cargo ship into waters at a southeastern California port on Tuesday morning, according to officials, who said a unified command center has been erected to respond.
All cargo operations at Pier G at the Port of Long Beach, just south of Los Angeles, were temporarily suspended to ensure safety amid the response, the port said.
Dramatic, uncorroborated video of the incident, shared online, shows dozens of burgundy cargo containers already floating on the ocean as additional stacks of containers lean over the side of the vessel before tumbling into the sea.
Video published online by U.S. Coast Guard Northern California also shows containers falling from the vessel onto the dock.
The port said the incident began at about 9 a.m. PST. It estimated that 67 shipping containers had fallen from a cargo ship called the Mississippi into the port waters.
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No injuries were reported but a smaller, clean-air barge that was connected to the vessel at the time of the incident was damaged by falling containers, according to the port.
Despite the suspension of operations at Pier G, the port said no other terminals were affected and port operations were continuing as normal.
"Unified Command agencies have dispatched numerous vessels and aircraft to assess the situation and provide assistance," the Port of Long Beach said in a statement.
The U.S. Coast Guard, the Long Beach Fire Department, the Long Beach Police Department and the Army Corps of Engineers were among responding agencies.
A 500-yard safety zone has been erected around the Mississippi by the Coast Guard, which said it is also issuing marine safety broadcasts every hour to alert other vessels of the navigation hazard.
The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the incident.
Founded in the early 1900s,, as part of the San Pedro Bay port complex, handles more containers per ship call than any other port complex in the world.
The port operates 12 piers and 80 berths and handles more than 9 million 20-foot container units annually, with a cargo value of about $300 billion, according to its website.