Shipping accident shuts down major California port

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) —Dozens of shipping containers fell from a huge vessel moored at a major California port on Tuesday, halting operations as crews scrambled to limit the damage.

Video showed containers toppling like dominoes from a huge ship as cranes moved overhead at the Port of Long Beach, near Los Angeles.

Aerial footage revealed several of the containers had crumpled as they smashed down onto what appeared to be some kind of support vessel.

Several towers of containers appeared to have been involved in the incident from different areas of a Portugal-registered ship called Mississippi.

It was not immediately clear what was inside the containers, but journalists who flew over the scene reported seeing shoes and clothing floating in the water.

Some of the 40-foot-long (12-meter) metal boxes appeared to have sunk, while others bobbed around on the water’s surface, lying on top of each other.

Multiple containers stacks still on board were leaning precariously.

Local media reported boats were spraying water at the containers to try to prevent them from floating around the busy port.

The US Coast Guard said at least 67 containers had fallen into the water around 9 a.m., but that no one had been hurt in the incident.

“Cargo operations have been temporarily suspended at the terminal as responders work to secure the containers,” port spokesperson Art Marroquin said.

An exclusion zone was established around the vessel, with emergency responders from the fire, police and coast guard in attendance.

The Port of Long Beach is one of the busiest in the United States, handling $300 billion worth of trade every year, according to its website.

It is one of the main import hubs for goods from Asia, and has connections with over 200 ports around the world.