Coast Guard investigating container mishap at the Port of Long Beach

A light oil sheen, a sprained ankle and waterlogged cargo were among the damage reported when approximately 75 cargo containers tumbled off a stationed vessel at the Port of Long Beach on Tuesday morning.

- BY ANDREW J. CAMPA

ALLEN J. SCHABEN Los Angeles Times SOME of the 75 toppled containers caused a light oil spill when they hit a barge.

The U.S. Coast Guard, which is leading the investigation into the incident along with the National Transportation Safety Board, provided an update along with Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson and other officials Wednesday afternoon but offered no definite explanation for the cause of the unusual mishap.

The containers, which carried general cargo such as clothes, furniture, shoes and electronics, mysteriously fell overboard while the vessel was "in the process of offloading" at Pier G around 9 a.m., according to U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Stacey Crecy.

The containers crashed into the water as well as struck and damaged a smaller clean-air barge connected to the large ship named Mississippi.

The containers were seen floating in the port Tuesday morning. Members of the Long Beach police and fire departments used boats to help corral the giant shipping crates.

"It was a miracle that no one suffered any major injuries, especially those individuals who were on the emissions collection barge at the time when the containers fell on top of it," Crecy said.