Cleanup begins at Port of Long Beach after dozens of containers fall into water

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- Work was underway Wednesday to salvage and clean up dozens of shipping containers that fell off a cargo vessel at the Port of Long Beach.

About 75 containers fell from the vessel Mississippi at around 8:45 a.m. Tuesday at Pier G, berth 232, according to a U.S. Coast Guard public affairs officer. No serious injuries have been reported.

An investigation to determine the cause of the incident is being led by the Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board. It's unclear how long the cleanup process will last.

Port officials emphasize the work isn't interfering with cargo ships coming into the port. Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero said the port is fully operating.

Officials said that after crews started to release the straps holding the containers down, they started to fall into the water, sparking the domino effect.

Video shows the moment the cargo containers first fell off the ship and into the water like dominoes.

Officials with the Port of Long Beach said the Mississippi was coming from China and had a full load of goods ranging from shoes to clothing to electronics going to numerous stores throughout the U.S., such as Costco, Target, Walmart and small mom-and-pop stores.

The recovery is under the unified command of federal, state and local agencies.

"Sonar surveys are being conducted to locate approximately 25 to 30 containers submerged in the harbor to ensure the safe navigation of ship traffic," according to Port officials.

The unified command's is prioritizing the safety of workers and others at the scene "while also assessing security of the surrounding area to prevent further damage."

A pollution response vessel was at the scene "to address any potential discharge and a boom has been deployed to contain the containers in a designated area," officials said.

"Dockworkers (were) unloading containers from a separate ship that was berthed at Pier G before the incident and truck drivers are moving containers to and from the terminal," according to port officials. "No other terminals or port operations have been affected."

The Port of Long Beach is one of the largest ports in the country, bringing about $300 billion worth of cargo annually.

City News Service contributed to this report.