More than 60 containers fall off ship in Californian port

The Port of Long Beach said no injuries had been reported. Picture: KABC-TV via AP

More than 60 containers toppled off a cargo ship in the Port of Long Beach in the US on Tuesday, tumbling overboard and floating in the water.

The shipping containers fell off a vessel named the Mississippi shortly before 9am, and no injuries had been reported, according to Port of Long Beach spokesperson Art Marroquin.

About 67 containers were in the water, the US coast guard said on the social media platform X.

The containers toppled off a cargo ship at the Port of Long Beach (Damian Dovarganes/AP)

Long Beach, which is about 20 miles south of Los Angeles, is one of the busiest seaports in the country, with 40% of all shipping
containers in the United States coming through it or the Los Angeles port.

Some of the containers appeared to have fallen on the STAX 2, an anti-pollution vessel attached to the side of the Mississippi that captures emissions.

When empty, a container can weigh between two to four metric tons depending on the size.

About 67 containers were in the water, the US coast guard said (KABC-TV via AP)

The Pier G container terminal, one of six at the port, temporarily stopped unloading and loading ships as authorities worked to secure the containers.

The Mississippi sails under the flag of Portugal and arrived in Long Beach after departing Yantian port in Shenzhen, China, on August 26, according to vessel-tracking websites.