Tanker collision capsizes New Orleans river cruise vessel, all aboard rescued
A steering failure on an Atlantic Asphalt tanker caused it to strike the docked American Heritage paddleboat in New Orleans, prompting a rescue operation that saved all 180 passengers and crew.
A tanker that lost steering collided with the docked American Heritage river cruise paddleboat in New Orleans on Friday, according to Mayor Helena Moreno. The impact caused the five-storey vessel, carrying about 180 passengers and crew, to list, take on water and eventually flip into the Mississippi River.
Rescue teams including tugboat operators, nearby workers, police and other emergency responders pulled dozens of people from the 19-degree water and transferred them to nearby ships. Thirty-two individuals were taken to hospitals, none of whom suffered critical injuries.
"It was just chaos," said Devon Flanagan, a worker at the Port of New Orleans who witnessed the incident. "You had all types of ships, like other barges and other companies down there trying to help out, which also was a little convoluted because you had people still in the water."
The American Heritage, built in 2015 and operated by American Cruise Lines, was completing an eight-day cruise along the Mississippi River. The cruise line said it is cooperating with the Coast Guard and will provide further details when available.
MarineTraffic identified the tanker as Atlantic Asphalt, a vessel that typically transports heated asphalt and bitumen for construction. It was not immediately clear whether the tanker was carrying cargo at the time of the collision.