Three Containers Fall Off a Boxship During Cargo Ops at Port of LA

[Brief] On Monday morning, three containers fell off the side of a boxship at the Port of Los Angeles, prompting a coordinated response from the Coast Guard and local officials. 

At about 1120 hours, the Coast Guard base for Los Angeles-Long Beach received notice that several 40-foot boxes had fallen over the side during cargo operations on a CMA CGM boxship at Berth 302. The service dispatched patrol boats to the scene and set up a 400-yard safety zone around the site of the incident. 

Two of the three boxes sank after entering the water, and their locations have been marked for later retrieval. The remaining container was recovered. All three contained non-hazardous cargo, the service said. 

Los Angeles City Fire and the Los Angeles Port Police contributed to the response. The root cause of the casualty has not been disclosed yet; the Coast Guard said in a statement that it would issue further announcements as needed. 

Both sunken containers have been recovered using commercial salvage techniques. Divers found the first sunken container and attached flotation bags to it, then inflated them to increase buoyancy. They raised it to the surface and tug crews towed it off at about 2200 hours Monday night. 

Salvors returned and retrieved the second sunken container on Tuesday morning without further incident, and the Coast Guard lifted the safety zone around the area. 

“The safe recovery of these containers and reopening of the waterway was a direct result of the coordination and professionalism of everyone involved,” said Capt. Jarrod DeWitz, deputy commander, Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach.