Every person aboard the American Heritage riverboat is safe after a tanker slammed into the docked vessel in New Orleans on Friday, sending it onto its side in the Mississippi River. Thirty-two people were taken to hospital, but none were critically hurt and nobody died.
The Atlantic Asphalt, a 525-foot asphalt tanker, struck the paddlewheel riverboat at about 12:30 p.m. local time on Friday, while it was docked at the Port of New Orleans. The American Heritage had tied up about two hours earlier so passengers could begin disembarking at the end of an eight-day cruise.
The impact drove the riverboat against the wharf and rolled it onto its side, with its lower decks in the water. About 129 passengers and crew were aboard at the time — around 180 people in total, according to the Associated Press. Some passengers ended up in the river wearing life jackets before rescuers reached them.
01. No deaths, 32 in hospital
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno confirmed at an afternoon briefing that all passengers and crew had been accounted for. “Right now we have 32 passengers from the cruise ship that are in our local hospitals. None with any critical injury,” she said. No one aboard the tanker was hurt.
The US Coast Guard said early findings pointed to a steering failure on the tanker. “There seems to be some type of a loss of steering,” Captain Melanie Burnham said at a briefing, adding that the investigation was still under way and a final cause had not been established. The National Transportation Safety Board has sent a team to New Orleans, expected to arrive on Saturday morning. Its journey was delayed by the nationwide FAA ground stop that halted US flights on Friday.
02. What happens next
The Coast Guard has closed about three miles of the Mississippi River, from mile marker 93 to 96, to all vessel traffic while recovery and salvage work continues. The American Heritage, a 295-foot riverboat built in 2015 and operated by American Cruise Lines, was about to start an eight-day “Highlights of the Mississippi” cruise, sailing round-trip from New Orleans. American Cruise Lines said it was working with the Coast Guard and would share more information when available.
