A river cruise ship carrying about 129 passengers and crew rolled onto its side and sank at its dock in New Orleans on Friday after an oil tanker lost control and struck it on the Mississippi River, sending people into cold, fast-moving water.
The Atlantic Asphalt, an oil tanker, hit the American Heritage, an American Cruise Lines paddlewheeler, at about 12:30 p.m. while the ship was tied up at the Port of New Orleans, officials said. About 129 passengers, along with crew members, were aboard, according to the port. The vessel had docked about two hours earlier and had just begun letting passengers off.
Passengers began moving off the ship after the impact, but the vessel started to sink and then toppled over, New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said. Thirty-two people were taken to local hospitals with injuries that were not critical, she said. No one was killed, and no passengers or crew members were unaccounted for.
“That truly is a miracle on the Mississippi,” Moreno said at a news conference near the scene, as officials around her applauded. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry echoed the phrase. “The Mississippi River is not some quiet pond,” he said. “There were challenges out there.”
What happened on the river
The American Heritage, a 300ft paddle-wheel ship built in 2015, had left New Orleans on a multi-day cruise upriver toward Baton Rouge and Vicksburg, Mississippi, before turning back, WWNO reported. It had returned to the port and was docked near 1350 Port of New Orleans Place when the tanker struck.
The Atlantic Asphalt appeared to suffer “some type of a loss of steering” before the impact, U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Melanie Burnham said, though she said the exact reason was not known. The person at the helm of the tanker was a river pilot, she said. The tanker had just passed the Crescent City Connection bridge when it veered toward the ship, according to ship-tracking data reviewed by The Guardian. The bridge, which carries about 160,000 cars a day, was not hit.
Video obtained by Guardian reporting partner WWL Louisiana showed the tanker striking the side of the American Heritage. A witness, Jamie Holford, told WDSU it took about 15 minutes “from impact to where it rolled over.”
The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team to investigate the collision, the latest in a series of transportation accidents that includes a helicopter collision in Oregon last month. The team may be delayed by the Federal Aviation Administration’s nationwide ground stop, which Rep. Steve Scalise said was preventing investigators from reaching the scene. The NTSB has said the team is expected to arrive Saturday.
The rescue
Harbor police were first to respond and went into the river to pull people out, while New Orleans firefighters lowered ladders over the dock. Other vessels on the river also stopped to help, Moreno said. At least two harbor police officers fell into the water and were taken to hospital in “good condition,” Port of New Orleans Harbor Police Chief Melanie Montroll said.
A police drone that was already in the air on an unrelated call was redirected to the scene and showed people in the water, New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said. The U.S. Coast Guard sent small boats, cutters and helicopters to the search and rescue effort.
Passengers were brought to the Port of New Orleans administration building, next to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, and later placed in local hotels. The city is working with the American Red Cross, University Medical Center and other partners to provide accommodation, transportation and replacement prescriptions for people who lost belongings on the boat.
The vessels
The American Heritage previously sailed as the Queen of the Mississippi, has more than 80 staterooms and can carry up to 150 guests. American Cruise Lines said guests and crew were evacuated and that it was “deeply concerned for everyone involved.”
The Atlantic Asphalt is an oil tanker built in 2017, about 160 meters long, with a deadweight of 17,764 metric tons. It flies the Marshall Islands flag and is owned and commercially operated by Nave Shipping SA, a company registered in Liberia, according to maritime records. Its maintenance and safety operations are overseen by Singapore-based Thome Ship Management.
The tanker was previously fined C$7,800 by Canadian authorities for a violation of the Canada Shipping Act and related pollution regulations, recorded on Aug. 11, 2020. The penalty stemmed from an officer failing to properly supervise a transfer operation, according to the Canadian government.
Why the river closed
The Coast Guard shut the river to vessel traffic for about three miles, from mile markers 93 to 96, while rescuers worked. Capt. Burnham said the focus is now on reopening the river, likely with one-way traffic at first, and on salvaging the cruise ship. The RTA’s cross-river ferry service was suspended and a festival near the riverfront was called off for the day.
The collision carries echoes of an earlier riverfront disaster. On Dec. 14, 1996, the Liberian-registered cargo ship Bright Field lost propulsion power and struck a wharf near New Orleans’ Riverwalk shopping center and Hilton Riverside hotel. No one died, but more than 60 people were injured, four of them seriously, according to an NTSB report.
How many people were hurt? Thirty-two people were taken to local hospitals after the collision. Officials said none of the injuries were critical, and no passengers or crew were unaccounted for. The Coast Guard and local hospitals are treating the injured, and the Red Cross is supporting passengers who lost belongings.
Officials said the investigation is active and that any safety adjustments will be made to keep the Mississippi River safe. Landry said the state would “get down to the bottom of exactly what happened here.” Check back for updates.
