The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a safety alert calling for tighter procedures when vessels are moored alongside during cargo operations after multiple container stacks collapsed at terminals in the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach during September and October 2025.
The most serious incident occurred Tuesday, September 9, when about 75 containers fell from the Portugal-registered Mississippi, operated by ZIM, shortly after arriving from Yantian, China. The vessel was carrying 2,412 containers when the collapse began at 8:48 a.m., with eyewitness video showing the ship listing as two rows of boxes gave way.
Several containers struck an at-berth emissions control barge moored alongside the ship. The barge was carrying roughly 2,000 gallons of renewable diesel. A crew member suffered minor injuries, and the barge sustained significant damage. In a separate incident during the same period, four containers nearly landed on another emissions control barge after what the Coast Guard described as ineffective container-securing practices…