As investigation continues into the collapse of more than 70 containers at Long Beach, ILWU Local 13 President Gary Herrera said the incident was not caused by “human error.”
Salvage operations are underway to reopen a navigation channel at the Port of Long Beach’s Pier G after an accident on Tuesday morning caused about 75 containers to fall from the container ship Mississippi, damaging a clean air barge moored alongside.
Officials from the Unified Command, which includes federal, state and local agencies as well as representatives of the vessels involved, confirmed that two sunken containers were retrieved on Wednesday and that a leaking tank containing about 2,000 gallons of renewable diesel aboard the barge has been secured.
The incident occurred shortly after 9 a.m. while the 5,504 TEU vessel, chartered to ZIM and deployed on its Transpacific ZEX service, was berthed at International Transportation Service’s Pier G terminal. Multiple containers struck the barge, operated by Stax Engineering. Cargo operations at Pier G were temporarily suspended for safety checks but the terminal remained open to truck traffic. In an update on Wednesday, the port said that one minor injury has been reported.
The port said in an update that dockworkers continued unloading containers from a separate ship that was berthed at Pier G before the incident and that truck drivers were moving containers to and from the terminal. No other terminals or port operations have been affected. There are 22 cargo terminals at the Port of Long Beach. Six handle containers.
“Although this incident was at one berth at the Port, we will continue to act with caution as we recover containers and restore full operations at the Pier G terminal as quickly and safely as possible,” said Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero at a press conference held on Wednesday. “Thanks to the quick response by all involved – first the workers and companies right at the docks working the ship, then on to all of the agencies who have responded to protect life, safety and commerce.”
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said the port remained operational despite the accident and that all other piers resumed normal operations. “This situation could have been a whole lot worse, but we are so fortunate that the women and men who work here, our dockworkers, are safe.” He added that recovery operations were progressing cautiously, with containers no longer floating as they were on Tuesday, and with much of the cargo already brought together. “Except for the area surrounding the container vessel, cargo is moving at the terminal,” he pointed out.
Speaking at the press conference, International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 13 President Gary Herrera said that the accident was not the result of dockworker error.
“If you look over there, those are the men and women of the ILWU driving the cranes and controlling the movement of cargo. When asked how often this might happen — not often at all. It’s very rare. The men and women work in this environment unloading and loading containers without fault. On the day of the incident yesterday, I can tell you right now it was not human error when it came to the labor of the men and women at ILWU,” Herrera said.
Clips from the press conference can be watched in the video below.
The investigation to determine the cause of the incident is being led by the US Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board. The Unified Command continues to conduct sonar surveys to locate approximately 25 to 30 containers submerged in the harbour. Recovered containers have been moved to a designated area surrounded by a boom. The Coast Guard continues to maintain a 500-yard safety zone on the water surrounding the Mississippi.
