Tanker collides with river cruise ship near New Orleans port, passengers rescued

A tanker identified as the Atlantic Asphalt collided with the paddlewheel cruise boat American Heritage on the Mississippi River near the Port of New Orleans at about 12:30 p.m. local time on Friday, causing the passenger vessel to list and become partially submerged. The cruise ship had docked two hours earlier to allow passengers to disembark.

Port NOLA reported that the American Heritage carried roughly 129 passengers and crew at the time of the impact. New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said 32 passengers were taken to local hospitals for treatment, none of which were critical, and that no one aboard the tanker was injured. Harbor Police Chief Melanie Montroll added that two officers were hospitalized during the rescue but were in good condition.

Rescue efforts involved Port NOLA Harbor Police, the New Orleans Fire Department, the New Orleans Police Department, the U.S. Coast Guard and private vessels that assisted as volunteers. More than a dozen people were pulled from the water by nearby boats.

U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Melanie Burnham said investigators were on scene to determine why the tanker lost steering control, and the National Transportation Safety Board announced it would dispatch a "Go Team" to begin its own investigation. Burnham also indicated that the Coast Guard was evaluating how to reopen the river, which had been closed after the collision.

President Trump posted on Truth Social praising the Coast Guard and other law-enforcement agencies for their response to the incident.