A collision on the Mississippi River turned into a large rescue operation in New Orleans on Friday 13 November. At about 12:30 p.m. local time, the asphalt tanker Atlantic Asphalt struck the American Heritage, a paddlewheel cruise ship moored at the Port of New Orleans. The riverboat took on water, rolled onto its side and capsized alongside the dock.
Mayor Helena Moreno said that all passengers were accounted for. Thirty-two people were taken to local hospitals, none with critical injuries. She called the outcome a "miracle on the Mississippi".
What happened
According to the port authority, quoted by the specialist site gCaptain, the collision took place below the Crescent City Connection bridge. Ship-tracking data recorded a "proximity event" at 18:29 UTC.
Public radio station WWNO reports that the riverboat had docked about two hours earlier and was beginning to let its passengers off. A witness told Al Jazeera that roughly fifteen minutes passed between the impact and the moment the vessel rolled over.
Passengers and rescue
- About 129 passengers were on board, plus crew; the crew count has not been published.
- The boat can carry up to 150 guests.
- Harbor Police officers went into the water to pull people out, firefighters lowered ladders over the dock and an NOPD drone already in the air was redirected to the scene, WWNO reports.
- The US Coast Guard sent small boats, cutters and helicopters; other vessels on the river also helped.
- More than a dozen people wearing life jackets were pulled from the water onto nearby ships. The water temperature was about 19 °C (66 °F), according to Al Jazeera.
Passengers were taken to the port administration building for medical checks, then housed in hotels. The city says it is working with the Red Cross and University Medical Center; some passengers needed replacement prescriptions.
The two vessels
The Atlantic Asphalt is a 160-metre (520 ft) tanker flagged in the Marshall Islands, which carries asphalt and bitumen. WWNO says it is owned by Chinese and Liberian companies. According to gCaptain, it called at Amuay (Venezuela) in mid-October and at Paulsboro, New Jersey, on 24 October before reaching New Orleans on 11 November.
The American Heritage, operated by American Cruise Lines, was built in 2015 under the name Queen of the Mississippi and renamed in 2022. The US-flagged vessel is about 81 metres long. The company said it was "deeply concerned for everyone involved" and is working with the Coast Guard and local authorities.
Cause still unknown
The cause of the collision has not been established. The mayor spoke of "some sort of loss of steering", and said the tanker had "lost control". gCaptain notes that the authorities have not said whether there was a mechanical or propulsion failure.
- The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is sending a team of investigators, according to gCaptain.
- Governor Jeff Landry flew to New Orleans and described "an active investigation".
- Coast Guard Captain Melanie Burnham, captain of the port, said attention was turning to reopening the river.
Traffic disrupted
A stretch of about three miles of the Mississippi, between mile markers 93 and 96, was closed to all vessel traffic. The cross-river ferry was suspended and a riverfront festival was cancelled. None of the sources consulted reports any pollution.
What remains to be confirmed
- The exact number of crew members on board.
- The origin of the tanker's loss of control: mechanical failure, steering problem or human error.
- When river traffic will fully resume and what will happen to the capsized vessel.
Main image: the riverboat under its former name, Queen of the Mississippi, in 2016 (file photo) — Benroethig, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
