Port of Long Beach container spillage described as ‘rare.’ Questions remain about the mishap
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Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson called Tuesday’s calamity at the Port of Long Beach “rare,” while Gary Herrera, president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 13, went a half step further, labeling it “super rare.”
Noting that no one was seriously injured, U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Stacey Crecy spoke of a “miracle.” Port of Long Beach Chief Executive Mario Cordero used terms such as “a blessing” and “unprecedented.”
Those were some of the comments during a roughly 35-minute news conference Wednesday at the Port of Long Beach, where personnel from the Coast Guard, the city of Long Beach, the port and worker representatives tried to explain how 75 cargo containers dramatically slipped off a vessel docked at the port and into the nearby water or on top of an adjacent barge.
Still, no one could definitively put a finger on the cause of the bizarre mishap.
The port handles roughly 9 million 20-foot containers units with 90 million metric tons of cargo valued at $300 billion annually — almost all without similar incidents, according to their stats.
I had a chance to write about Tuesday’s event, which caught most parties involved completely by surprise.
What exactly happened Tuesday morning?
Long Beach Fire Chief Dennis Buchanan said fire units responded at 9:06 a.m. and found several containers from the vessel “Mississippi” tumbled off the ship and into the nearby waters.
An online site dedicated to tracking ships says Mississippi flies under a Portuguese flag and was last docked in China two weeks ago, suggesting the cargo could have come from manufacturers in China.
Video footage shows at least one stack of containers also crashing onto and damaging a smaller clean-air barge connected to the large ship.
The containers carried general cargo such as clothes, furniture, shoes and electronics, some of which washed upon the shore. The vessel was “in the process of offloading” at Pier G around 9 a.m., according to Crecy.
Fire personnel immediately established an isolation perimeter, Buchanan said.
Members of the Long Beach Police and Fire departments used boats to help corral the giant shipping crates.
Why did the containers fall overboard?
Crecy said that the Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board were leading the investigation into how and why the containers fell off the Mississippi.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have the exact cause of the incident, at this time,” Crecy said.
When asked whether human or mechanical error played a part, Crecy said many factors will be looked into, including drug and alcohol testing.
Herrera pushed back, saying it “was not human error” involving any union workers.
Extent of the injuries and damages
Richardson confirmed no one was seriously injured. One worker aboard the barge sprained an ankle fleeing the falling containers.
That worker was assessed and treated at the scene and did not require immediate hospitalization.
“We are fortunate,” Richardson said. “It could have been a whole lot worse.”
Crecy said the barge suffered damage, but didn’t explain the severity.
The small boat, owned by cleantech firm Stax Engineering, was the source of a “very light” oil sheen. The ship was loaded with approximately 2,000 gallons of renewable diesel, she said.
She noted that an oil spill response team was working to contain the sheen’s spread.
What’s next?
The owners of the cargo and barge vessels would share some of the cleanup responsibilities and also plan container recovery, Crecy said.
As for the waterlogged cargo, Herrera said workers were continuing to move containers from the water onto the dock and out of the bay.
The Coast Guard said it was working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to create a list of affected cargo and containers.
We’ll be following the cleanup efforts and the investigation as it progresses.
The week’s biggest stories
Charlie Kirk slaying
- Authorities confirmed they apprehended the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s shooting.
- Some are calling Charlie Kirk a ‘martyr’ and want vengeance as they mourn.
- How will security change for polarizing public figures in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s shooting.
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- MSNBC severs ties with Matthew Dowd over inflammatory Charlie Kirk comments.
California policies and infrastructure
- California lawmakers passed a bill banning law enforcement officers from covering their faces.
- The state’s long-awaited high-speed rail project is slated to receive billions in state funding.
Crime, courts, investigations and policing
- A sudden, disastrous drop is one cause of 2023 Southern California helicopter crash.
- A California family may call it quits after smash-and-grab robbers raided their jewelry store.
- Twin brothers have been charged with running tee time brokering scheme, hiding $1.1 million in income.
- California’s Punjabi truckers say they’re being harassed after deadly Florida wreck.
Animals we love and ones we don’t
- Eagle advocates are fighting a gated community planned near the nest of Big Bear Lake’s eagles Jackie and Shadow.
- A Beloved SoCal octopus will spend her final days caring for eggs that will never hatch.
- ‘Extra large’ rats are flourishing and feasting on an L.A. street turned dumping ground for rotting produce.
Entertainment news
- Actress Ego Nwodim announces she’s leaving NBC’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ in the latest cast shake-up.
- Actress Nina Dobrev and X-Games star Shaun White call off their engagement after more than 5 years.
- This beloved Californian theme park is slashing jobs and shortening its season.
- Emmys host Nate Bargatze has a genius plan to keep thank-you speeches short this year.
More big stories
- Here’s how you can now listen to L.A. Times articles with our new audio service.
- NFL and UFC athletes try ‘game-changing’ psychedelic to treat brain injury.
- Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh can thank Al Davis and Raiders for starting him on his path.
- Thinking about a surf vacation next summer? You may want to consider Palm Desert.
- Dad of Burning Man homicide victim appeals to Trump and FBI to solve the case.
This week’s must-reads
The Wende Museum debuted its Glorya Kaufman Community Center, a 7,500-square-foot space for cultural programming and wellness activities — and everything, including the food, is free.
More great reads
- He’s an NBA and UCLA basketball legend. Reggie Miller’s ‘passion’ at 60? mountain biking.
- Pali High football: A team of wildfire nomads searches for normalcy.
- Opinion: Against the backdrop of the Hollywood sign, the Border Patrol takes a hellaweird group photo.
- Opinion: When did ‘Never again’ become a controversial statement?
For your weekend
Going out
- It’s all about the bread: Head to Orange County for the best sourdough in the universe. And it’s purple.
- Flipping flapjacks: Find your perfect pancake at these 11 L.A. restaurants.
- Find your new favorite film: The 21 movies we’re most excited to see this fall.
- Movie Review: ‘The Long Walk’ is a straight line to one of Stephen King’s darkest concepts.
- Encore performance: Spinal Tap is back and ready to talk. Just don’t bring up the last movie.
- Movie week in the SFV: A week of activities and movies kicks off Tuesday at the San Fernando Valley’s Film Festival.
Staying in
- One more time: Heading back to Downton Abbey for ‘The Grand Finale’ yields a comfortable catharsis.
- Scheduled viewing: 16 TV shows we’re excited to watch this fall.
- Recipes: Here’s a recipe for summer corn farrotto with brown butter and sweet burst tomatoes.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.
Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team
Jim Rainey, staff writer
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew J. Campa, reporter
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
Diamy Wang, homepage intern
Izzy Nunes, audience intern
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.
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