Tanker ‘Lost Control’ and Capsized a Cruise Ship in New Orleans — 32 Hurt, All 197 Aboard Accounted For
A tanker that “lost control” slammed into a docked river cruise boat in New Orleans on Friday, capsizing the vessel and sending passengers into the Mississippi River. Thirty-two people were taken to hospitals. Remarkably, all 197 people aboard are accounted for — and none of the injuries is critical.
The collision happened at about 12:30 p.m. local time, when the Atlantic Asphalt tanker struck the American Cruise Lines riverboat American Heritage while it was docked at the Port of New Orleans. The riverboat had tied up roughly two hours earlier so guests could disembark at the end of their cruise. Passengers had begun walking off when the ship started taking on water, listed, and eventually toppled over and flipped, New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said at a Friday evening news conference.
People in life vests were pulled from the river as firefighters used ladders over the dock to reach them and other vessels on the river moved in to help. Two harbor police officers who were hospitalized were released Friday evening. Others were treated for bumps and bruises at the port facility.
The tanker appears to have “lost control,” U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Melanie Burnham said, adding that investigators do not yet know the exact reason it may have lost steering. The person driving the tanker was a river pilot.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry called the outcome “a literal miracle on the Mississippi.” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said “by the grace of God, we have not lost one soul.” The National Transportation Safety Board is sending an investigation team to New Orleans, expected on scene Saturday morning, and the Coast Guard is working to reopen the river, which was shut down after the collision.
The American Heritage, built in 2015, is a paddlewheel riverboat with a capacity of 150 guests. Read more from CNN and USA Today.
Image: Farragutful / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) — the American Heritage, pictured under its former name Queen of the Mississippi.