Long Beach, CA – 16 Sept 2025 – The 8,700-TEU U.S-flag containership ZIM Mississippi encountered a cargo-collapse incident shortly after 18:30 Pacific Time on Monday evening. Eyewitnesses reported that a combination of twisted-lock failure and sudden 40-knot cross-winds caused three 40-high bays in hold 7 to topple, spilling steel coils, machinery parts and consumer goods onto the quay. No injuries were reported, but the Long Beach Fire Department Haz-Mat team was deployed after a small glycol leak was detected.
The Port of Long Beach halted all vessel operations for 14 hours while cranes restowed damaged containers and structural engineers confirmed hold integrity. The terminal area was reopened at 09:15 Tuesday; the Mississippi remains alongside for survey and cargo restow.
Our company had six high-cube containers on board, stowed in bays 3 and 4—outside the collapse zone. They were cleared by the Port Authority at 08:00 Tuesday and delivered to the rail ramp before noon, keeping our customer’s production schedule intact.
“Stack collapses are statistically rare, but when they occur the financial impact can be huge,” said Lisa Wang, Risk Manager at our firm. “Cargo owners face two major exposures: physical loss and lengthy delays. A reliable freight forwarder plus a broad ‘All-Risk’ marine policy is the only practical shield.”
Our standard operating procedure includes:
Mandatory all-risk insurance for every shipment (premium 0.15 % of CIF).
Pre-loading stowage plans reviewed against vessel history and weather forecasts.
24-hour visibility through our IoT seal programme, allowing rapid identification of unaffected boxes in an emergency.
Post-incident claim team that files GA & salvage documentation within 24 hours, cutting average cargo-release time by 40 %.
The ZIM Mississippi is classed by ABS and passed her last structural inspection in June 2025. The U.S. Coast Guard and the classification society have opened a joint investigation; preliminary findings are expected within 30 days.
Cargo owners with damaged boxes are advised to:
Submit a Notice of Loss to the carrier within three days.
Arrange a joint survey with the average adjuster.
Separate wet/dry cargo to mitigate further loss.
General Average was not declared for this event, but adjusters remain on standby.
We will continue to monitor the situation and keep clients informed through our customer portal.
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