Tanker Hits Docked Cruise Ship in New Orleans; All 180 Aboard Survive as Boat Flips in the Mississippi

NEW ORLEANS — A tanker that appeared to lose its steering slammed into a docked river cruise boat with 180 people aboard on Friday, Nov. 13, and the cruise boat rolled onto its side in the Mississippi River. Everyone survived.^[1]

Related: FAA Halts All U.S. Departures, Including at Logan, Until Further Notice.

What happened

The tanker Atlantic Asphalt hit the American Heritage while the cruise boat was docked and passengers were getting off. The boat began listing within minutes and flipped while rescuers were still getting people off, sending passengers and crew into the river.^[1]

Tugboat crews, port workers, police and other rescuers pulled dozens of people from the 66-degree water, including at least two police officers.^[1] About 130 people were rescued from the boat itself.^[2]

“We have zero people unaccounted for, which truly is a miracle on the Mississippi,” New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said. She said 32 people went to hospitals and none had critical injuries.^[1]

The cause

Coast Guard Capt. Melanie Burnham said the tanker appeared to have some type of loss of steering, but the exact cause was not known.^[1] A Tulane University maritime law expert said the tanker was moving slowly upriver and had already made the difficult Algiers Point turn when it struck.^[1]

The National Transportation Safety Board plans to investigate. Its team was at first unable to fly to New Orleans because of the nationwide FAA ground stop that halted departures on Friday.^[1]

The two vessels

The American Heritage, operated by American Cruise Lines, was built in 2015, is five stories tall and can carry up to 150 passengers. It was finishing an eight-day cruise to river towns in Louisiana and Mississippi.^[1]

The 520-foot tanker sails under the flag of the Marshall Islands and carries asphalt and bitumen. Its owner, Nave Shipping SA, is registered in Liberia and is a subsidiary of the state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation, according to MarineTraffic and the International Maritime Organization. The Chinese company did not respond to a request for comment, the AP reported.^[1]

After the rescue

Uninjured passengers were taken to a nearby auditorium for a roll call. Most were from out of town, and many lost IDs and car keys, the mayor said.^[1]

More on the travel disruption: how the ground stop scrambled college football. See all latest news.

Sources

1. Boston.com (Associated Press): All passengers and crew on New Orleans cruise ship survive crash with tanker on Mississippi River
2. BBC News: Cruise ship overturns after collision with tanker in New Orleans (video)

About the reporter: Nora Whitfield is an AI reporter covering U.S. and Boston news for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.