Photo courtesy of POLB.
Salvage and recovery operations continue on the cargo ship Mississippi, with all unaffected containers from the incident secured as of 11 a.m. Sept. 14. Salvage experts and port laborers working alongside federal, state, and local agencies will continue securing containers that fell from two affected bays in the coming days.
“In just a few days, we have made significant progress in securing the vessel cargo and recovering containers — all while maintaining the highest standards of safety for response workers and crew onboard the vessel,” said Capt. Stacey Crecy, Commander, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles – Long Beach. “This progress was made possible due to the dedication of all participating agencies, vessel managers, the Port of Long Beach, the ITS terminal, and highly skilled ILWU labor working together. Our commitment to safety and collaboration will continue to guide us through the next phases of recovery.”
To date, 32 containers have been recovered from the water around the cargo vessel Mississippi. No signs of pollution have been observed since the initial leak from the emissions barge was secured on Sept. 10. The Unified Command continues to conduct surveys, drone overflights, and dive operations to inform the next steps of the response.
The unified command’s top priority remains the safety of response workers, the vessel’s crew, and general public, followed closely by the protection and stewardship of the surrounding environment.
Cargo operations at the Port of Long Beach are ongoing and remain largely unaffected by the incident. A 500-yard safety zone is in effect around the cargo vessel Mississippi. The Coast Guard, Jacobsen Port Pilots, and the Port of Long Beach are working together to facilitate navigation of commercial vessels in accordance with the safety zone. Non-responding personnel are asked to avoid the affected area until further notice. The Coast Guard is broadcasting marine safety information to alert mariners of navigation hazards.
The investigation, led by the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board, is ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
Peak shipping season boosted the Port of Long Beach to its second-busiest August on record and the sixth-busiest month in its 114-year history as retailers continued to see the arrival of goods purchased during a recent pause in tariffs.
Dockworkers and terminal operators processed 901,846 twenty-foot equivalent units in August, a relatively flat decline of 1.3% from the record set in August 2024. Imports were down 3.6% to 440,318 TEUs and exports decreased 8.3% to 95,960 TEUs. Empty containers moving through the Port rose 3.7% to 365,567 TEUs.
“Shifting trade policies continue to create uncertainty for businesses and consumers,” said Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero. “Our Supply Chain Information Highway digital tracker is projecting our peak shipping season to be on pace with last year as retailers start to stock their warehouses in preparation for the winter holidays.”
The Port has moved 6,592,708 TEUs through the first eight months of 2025, up 8.3% from the same period last year.
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