A tanker slammed into a docked passenger riverboat on the Mississippi River on Friday afternoon (Nov. 13), flipping the vessel onto its side and setting off a large rescue operation, officials said.
The American Heritage, an American Cruise Lines paddlewheeler, was hit at about 12:30 p.m. while tied up at the Port of New Orleans. Port officials said it had been at the dock roughly two hours and was just starting to let passengers off. Close to 130 people were aboard, the company and port said. The vessel can carry up to 150 guests.
The tanker, identified as the Atlantic Asphalt, hit the riverboat with enough force to roll the vessel over. Public records list the tanker as based in the Marshall Islands and owned by Chinese and Liberian companies.
Video from the scene showed the boat lying on its side against the dock, and people were seen in the water in life jackets.
At a news conference later in the afternoon, New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said no passengers were unaccounted for, and 32 were taken to local hospitals. None of them had critical injuries, which she called a “miracle on the Mississippi.”
“And that is a credit to all of the first responders, local, state, federal, who literally jumped right in to help,” Moreno said.
The cause of the collision is not known. Moreno said there appeared to be “some sort of loss of steering,” and investigators are working to determine what happened. Passengers began disembarking after the collision, when the riverboat started to sink and then toppled over, leaving people in the water.
American Cruise Lines said the boat’s guests and crew were evacuated, and that it was working closely with the Coast Guard and local authorities. 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 helped, Moreno said.
New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said a department drone that was already in the air on an unrelated call was redirected to the scene and showed people in the water.
The Coast Guard has shut the river to all vessel traffic for a roughly three-mile stretch while responders work. Capt. Melanie Burnham, commander of the Coast Guard sector of New Orleans and the captain of the port, said the Coast Guard’s focus is now shifting to reopening the river. The Coast Guard sent small boats, cutters and helicopters to the search and rescue effort, she said.
The RTA’s cross-river ferry service has been suspended, and a festival held near the riverfront was called off for the day.
Gov. Jeff Landry flew to New Orleans and spoke at the press conference with Moreno. He said he called Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, and that President Donald Trump then called him to say, “Whatever Louisiana needs, we will make sure that they get.”
Landry said the passengers were being triaged for their needs, would be given a place to stay and would be reunited with loved ones “in a very orderly fashion.”
“This is an active investigation,” Landry said, adding that officials want to ensure the investigation is thorough. “We are going to get down to the bottom of exactly what happened here, and make sure that we make any adjustments necessary."
Moreno said passengers were being placed in local hotels and given transportation, and that some needed replacement prescriptions after losing belongings on the boat. The city is working with the Red Cross, University Medical Center and other partners.
The riverboat had left New Orleans on a multi-day cruise set to run upriver toward Baton Rouge and Vicksburg, Mississippi, before turning back.
This is an ongoing story. Check back for updates.
