Berthed Containership Loses 67 Boxes Overboard at Port of Long Beach

U.S. Coast Guard units and local emergency responders have established a safety zone at Pier G in the Port of Long Beach following a significant container collapse incident aboard the MV Mississippi. The accident, which occurred Tuesday morning at around 9 a.m., resulted in approximately 67 containers falling overboard into the harbor waters and more onto the pier.

A Unified Command comprising the U.S. Coast Guard, Long Beach Fire Department, Long Police Department, Port of Long Beach, Army Corps of Engineers and other commercial representatives has been established to coordinate response efforts. Air Station Ventura is conducting aerial surveillance of the affected area.

No injuries have been reported and no other terminals or port operations have been impacted, the Port of Long Beach said in a statement.

According to eyewitness footage, the container collapse appears to have begun with the aft stack before spreading to the forward section near the vessel’s superstructure. The footage appears to show the ship listing to starboard, away from the pier, when the incident occurred.

Several containers landed on an adjacent emissions capture barge operated by STAX Engineering that was alongside the vessel during the incident.

The Portugal-registered vessel, owned by MPC Container Ships ASA through its subsidiary MPC ECOBOX OPCO 4 AS, had just arrived at Long Beach early Tuesday after completing its voyage from Yantian, China.

Footage later released by the Coast Guard shows even more containers falling from the port side, onto the pier.

Pier G, where the incident occurred, is operated by International Transportation Service (ITS). “Cargo operations have been temporarily suspended at Pier G, as operations continue to ensure the safety of dockworkers and other Port personnel,” the Port of Long Beach said.

The Coast Guard established a safety zone 500 yards around the Mississippi and is issuing marine safety broadcasts every hour to alert other vessels to the hazards. The Coast Guard is also leading the effort to determine the cause of the incident.

This incident comes amid heightened attention on container safety in the shipping industry, as the World Shipping Council recently reported that over 11% of inspected cargo shipments contained deficiencies in 2024. To help reduce container losses at sea, WSC co-developed the CTU Code Quick Guide and Checklist, which provides guidance for properly packing, transporting, and unpacking cargo transport units (CTUs), including freight containers.

The STAX barge involved in the incident is part of an innovative emissions control system unveiled earlier this year. In April, STAX Engineering demonstrated its integrated emissions and carbon capture technology designed to help maritime operators meet increasingly strict environmental regulations.

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