On Tuesday morning, a significant container spill occurred at Pier G in the Port of Long Beach when dozens of cargo units dropped from the vessel Mississippi. The ship, arriving from Yantian, China, carried over 2,400 containers. Authorities estimate that about 75 of them fell into the water.

A multi-agency Unified Command has been activated, bringing together federal, state, local bodies, and vessel representatives to lead recovery efforts. So far, responders have successfully retrieved two submerged containers and contained a fuel leak from an emissions control barge moored alongside the ship, which reportedly held around 2,000 gallons of renewable diesel.

To ensure safety, a 500-yard exclusion zone has been set up around the affected vessel, and sonar sweeps are underway to locate an estimated 25-30 containers that remain submerged. Cargo operations continue elsewhere in the port, though Pier G’s activities were paused temporarily.

Captain Stacey Crecy of the U.S. Coast Guard emphasized that while many details are still emerging, there are established plans in place to restore full operations as swiftly and safely as possible. Investigations by both the Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board are ongoing to determine what led to the spill.