USCG “Strongly Recommends” Safety Steps for Vessels During Cargo Ops
The U.S. Coast Guard issued a Marine Safety Alert for vessels alongside during cargo operations based on recent incidents with containers going overboard. While the investigations are ongoing into the incidents, USCG says, based on its findings of no established policies or planning and ad-hoc communications, it issued the alert with its strong recommendations.
In the Safety Alert, the USCG reveals that there were two recent incidents. The collapse of 95 containers from the vessel Mississippi operated by Zim made headlines in September 2025. At least a dozen of the containers falling from the midship stack landed on an emission control barge that was alongside the vessel. The crew aboard the barge reported “running for their lives,” and one of the crewmembers suffered minor injuries. The barge sustained significant damage.
USCG, however, reveals there was a second incident in October in the Port of Los Angeles. In this second instance, USCG reports, “four containers nearly landed on a separate emission control barge after ineffective container securing methods were used.”
The investigations’ preliminary findings indicated that there were no established policies or planning tools in place to account for vessels alongside during cargo operations. It says that the reliance on ad-hoc communications protocols has been identified as a contributing factor in both cases.
While the two incidents involved the emission control barges that are becoming more prevalent in California’s ports, the USCG warns for all vessels that might be coming alongside during cargo operations. For example, it might concern the positioning of tugs or other harbor vessels that could be alongside a containership during cargo operations.
The Coast Guard “strongly recommends” efforts to coordinate between managers and operators of the vessels and shoreside facilities. It calls for developing and implementing written procedures for both shoreside and shipboard management of vessels positioned alongside during active cargo operations. They call for optimally positioning the vessels while maintaining awareness of the ongoing cargo operations.
“Vessel placement should minimize the risk of falling containers striking the vessels alongside,” recommends USCG. “In situations where repositioning is not possible, operational priorities should focus on safeguarding the vessels and crew positioned alongside the vessel being actively loaded or offloaded.”
Further, it recommends establishing a pre-cargo operations meeting that includes representatives from the vessel, vessels being positioned alongside, and shoreside personnel responsible for cargo operations.
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The recommendation says the cargo discharge plan should account for the presence of vessels alongside. It calls for establishing clear communication and notification protocols for addressing any issues related to cargo handling or stability and trim concerns.
The U.S. Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board are leading the investigation into the cause of the incident on the Mississippi, which took place on September 9. They only reported the one minor injury to the crewmember on the barge and none to the crew on the containership or the cargo handlers and dockworkers. However, it took two and a half weeks to secure the ship, clear all the debris, and fully restore operations at the port.
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