The MV Hyundai Hope is brought into the Port of Wilmington Wednesday May 20, 2020 along the Cape Fear River. The container ship is the largest in NC Ports history at 157 feet wide and nearly 1,200 feet long. It can carry almost 14,000 20-foot containers.
Long Beach, California – On Tuesday morning, workers at the Port of Long Beach watched in shock as shipping containers began to tumble from the side of a massive cargo vessel, falling one after another like dominoes. By the end of the day, officials said 67 containers had been lost—some crashing onto the dock, others plunging into the ocean and spilling merchandise into the harbor.
The vessel, a cargo ship named Mississippi, had arrived from China and was berthed at Pier G when the accident began, just before 9 a.m. According to port officials, crews had only just started releasing the straps securing the containers when the first of them gave way. Within minutes, dozens followed, toppling overboard and forcing an immediate shutdown of operations at the terminal.
Eyewitnesses described the sound as a low rumble, growing louder as container after container shifted out of place. Videos taken from the scene show the metal boxes slamming into one another before crashing into the sea. “I would say one or two would be an accident,” said Richard Folkes, a longtime iron worker at the port. “But something like this is probably a major error somewhere.”
The Mississippi was loaded with goods destined for major retailers like Costco, Walmart, and Target, as well as for smaller stores across the country. Officials have not yet determined how much merchandise was destroyed, but workers on the scene reported seeing sandals, clothing, and other products bobbing in the water.
Port police quickly deployed boats to keep containers from drifting into the channel, while other crews worked to stabilize the vessel, which appeared to be listing on its port side. Some investigators suspect a ballast issue may have contributed to the accident, though the cause is still under review.
In 35 years working the docks, one port worker told reporters, he had never seen anything like it. Hours after the first containers went overboard, more continued to slip free, striking the dock with jarring thuds.
By late afternoon, a unified command had been established to plan salvage operations. Officials said divers and recovery crews would begin the process of retrieving sunken containers and removing the ones still precariously perched on the ship’s deck. “We’re working as fast as we can to clear it up,” said Art Marroquin, a spokesperson for the Port of Long Beach.
No one was hurt in the incident, and all crew members were accounted for. But the spill is expected to create ripple effects—both for retailers waiting on shipments and for a port that is no stranger to logistical challenges. For now, the priority is to recover what was lost and to figure out how such a large-scale accident happened in the first place.
