Tanker Hits Riverboat on New Orleans Waterfront, Injuring 32 Passengers
On Friday, an asphalt tanker struck a moored riverboat on the Mississippi on the downtown New Orleans waterfront, causing the passenger vessel to capsize. Rescue and response operations are under way.
The Atlantic Asphalt was arriving from New Jersey on a ballast voyage and headed upriver to load cargo, a river pilot told NOLA.com. With a pilot on board, she was passing under the Crescent City Connection bridge at about 1227 local time when she turned sharply to starboard. The ship was making roughly seven knots over ground, against the current. The crew dropped anchor, but it was not sufficient to halt the vessel's progress: Atlantic Asphalt's bow struck the riverboat American Heritage, which was moored alongside the pier next to New Orleans' convention center. Contact occurred amidships. Footage shows that the tanker then drifted away, allowing American Heritage to flood and list to port without support from the tanker's bow.
About 129 people were on board the riverboat at the time of the incident, and evacuations proceeded swiftly. Officials say that 32 passengers were injured, and responders used the nearby Port of New Orleans administrative building for mustering and triaging the survivors.
Additional passengers abandoned ship into the water and were pulled from the river by good samaritans, bystander videos show.
There were no fatalities and no missing personnel, New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said at a press conference. "At this point in time, all personnel are accounted for, which is truly a 'miracle on the Mississippi,'" she said.
"Our immediate priority is the safety of all passengers, crew members and first responders. This remains an active and evolving incident," the Port of New Orleans said in a statement.
An NTSB investigation team is expected on site shortly to begin inspecting the vessel. The team was delayed in transit due to disruption in the U.S. air traffic control system, and some members will travel by land instead, NTSB said.
Atlantic Asphalt is an 18,000 dwt foreign-flagged asphalt tanker built in 2017. The vessel trades globally, and was headed to Singapore after her call in Louisiana, according to NOLA.com.
She has accumulated 11 port state control deficiencies since 2024, including past recorded and corrected issues with her emergency generator, rescue boat, ISM Code implementation, and fire safety systems.
This is a breaking story and will be updated as additional information emerges.
MIRACLE ON THE MISSISSIPPI
All passengers accounted for after New Orleans ship collision
14.11.2026
All passengers are believed to be accounted for after a tanker collided with a cruise ship on the Mississippi River in New Orleans on Friday, leaving 32 people in hospital, the city's mayor said.
"At this moment, the information that we have, we have zero people unaccounted for, which truly is a miracle on the Mississippi," Mayor Helena Moreno said.
None of the 32 passengers being treated in hospital had suffered life-threatening injuries, she said.
Moreno said the tanker Atlantic Asphalt had lost control and crashed into the river cruise ship American Heritage.
Technical problem at fault?
A serious technical problem was probably responsible for the collision, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said. It was possible that the tanker had earlier hit a bridge, triggering a chain reaction, with a relatively mild outcome, he said.
Passengers tried to evacuate the cruise ship immediately after the collision, but it quickly began listing before rolling onto its side, sending several people into the water.
More than 130 passengers were on board at the time, CNN reported, citing port authorities. Many of the passengers were elderly, prompting initial fears that some could be trapped inside the vessel.
It could have been worse
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry praised the first responders, saying they "saved countless lives today."
"This is nothing short of a miracle," he wrote on X.
President Donald Trump also praised the rescue effort on his Truth Social platform.
"Law Enforcement and First Responders were fantastic! Incredibly, nobody was killed by this major collision," he wrote.
No comments:
Post a Comment