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Salvage operations have started for around 75 shipping containers that fell from the cargo ship Mississippi on the morning of September 9 at the Port of Long Beach in California
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The recovery of the toppled containers is intended to open a channel to allow ships to safely transit to and from Pier G of what is considered as the second busiest port in the US, the Port of Long Beach said in a press release on September 10
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Cargo operations at the port have been mostly unaffected by the incident
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The Unified Command set up to respond to the incident continues its investigation led by the US Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board
Salvage operations have started for around 75 shipping containers that fell from the cargo ship Mississippi on the morning of September 9 (Pacific Daylight Time) at the Port of Long Beach in California as the Unified Command set up to respond to the incident continues its investigation.
The recovery of the toppled containers is intended to open a channel to allow ships to safely transit to and from Pier G of what is considered as the second busiest port in the US, the Port of Long Beach said in a press release on September 10.
Cargo operations at the port have been mostly unaffected by the incident, except in a 500-yard safety zone placed around the Mississippi, which was carrying 2,412 containers at the time of the incident. Containers began falling at 8:48 a.m. Tuesday.
The investigation on the incident is being led by the US Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Among those that immediately responded to the incident were the Long Beach Fire Department, Long Beach Police Department, Port of Long Beach, the Army Corps of Engineers and other commercial representatives.
The Unified Command consists of federal, state and local agencies working together to ensure a safe and timely recovery of the cargo containers. Sonar surveys are being conducted to locate approximately 25 to 30 containers submerged in the harbor to ensure the safe navigation of ship traffic.
One of the Unified Command’s top priorities is continuing to ensure the safety of workers and others on the scene while assessing security of the surrounding area to prevent further damage
A pollution response vessel remained on the site to address any potential discharge and a boom was also deployed to contain the containers in a designated area.
Dockworkers were unloading containers from a separate ship that was berthed at Pier G before the incident.
Truck drivers continued to move containers to and from the terminal, but nonresponding personnel were asked to remain clear of the affected area until further notice.
The Coast Guard has been broadcasting hourly marine safety information to alert mariners of navigation hazards.
At the time of the incident, a small clean air barge was connected to the Mississippi. It was damaged by several fallen containers.
There was one reported minor injury related to the incident.
Cargo operations were temporarily suspended at Pier G.
Immediately after the incident, Unified Command agencies dispatched numerous vessels and aircraft to assess the situation and provide assistance.
