This is a developing story and we’ll update it as officials release more information.
Update, 4:10 p.m. ET: WDSU is now reporting that about a dozen people have been taken to the hospital. Witnesses also told reporters that some passengers had already gotten off the ship before the tanker hit, so the number of people on board at the time may have been lower than 129. The Coast Guard has closed the river to all traffic between mile markers 93 and 96.
A major rescue operation is underway on the Mississippi River in New Orleans this afternoon after a tanker crashed into a docked river cruise ship with roughly 129 passengers on board, plus crew.
The ship that was hit is American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage, one of the line’s paddlewheel riverboats. According to the Port of New Orleans, the tanker Atlantic Asphalt struck her at about 12:30 p.m. local time on Friday, November 13, while she was tied up along the riverfront outside the Port of New Orleans Administration Building, near the Crescent City Connection bridge.
The timing couldn’t have been worse. American Heritage had pulled in about two hours earlier and was in the middle of disembarkation, so passengers were wrapping up their cruise and getting ready to head home when it happened.
What We Know So Far
Video taken from shore shows the much larger tanker hitting the riverboat broadside. American Heritage quickly began listing, and footage from local TV showed her partially submerged and lying on her side in the river. People in life jackets could be seen in the water, while others clung to the railing on the high side of the ship.
WDSU in New Orleans captured the moment of impact:
Video: WDSU / Barry Kern
WDSU reported at one point that at least 12 people were still in the water waiting to be pulled out. The river was running around 66 degrees, which is cold enough to make hypothermia a real concern the longer someone’s in it. The historic riverboat Creole Queen, which operates sightseeing cruises from the same stretch of riverfront, reportedly helped pull at least 14 people from the river.
Credit: WDSU
Port NOLA Harbor Police, the New Orleans Fire Department, NOPD, New Orleans EMS and the U.S. Coast Guard all responded. Rescued passengers and crew are being taken into the Port’s administration building for triage. The Coast Guard has closed a three-mile stretch of the Mississippi to traffic while crews work the scene, and city officials say multiple people have been rescued and search-and-rescue operations are still ongoing.
Beyond the hospital reports, officials haven’t released an official injury count yet, and they haven’t said whether everyone on board has been accounted for. The cause of the collision is also under investigation.
What the Port and the Cruise Line Are Saying
The Port of New Orleans called it “an active and evolving incident” and said its immediate priority is the safety of passengers, crew and first responders.
American Cruise Lines confirmed the incident in a short statement, saying it’s working closely with the Coast Guard and local authorities, that guests and crew were evacuated, and that the company is deeply concerned for everyone involved. The line hasn’t commented yet on injuries or the condition of the ship.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said he’s in contact with local officials and law enforcement and is headed to New Orleans.
NBC News reports that Atlantic Asphalt is registered in the Marshall Islands and owned by Chinese and Liberian companies, based on public records.
A Busy, Tricky Stretch of River
If you’ve ever sailed in or out of New Orleans, you know how busy that part of the Mississippi is. Ocean ships, tankers, barges, tugs and riverboats all share a winding, fast-moving channel right in front of the French Quarter, and the cruise docks sit right alongside it. Docked ships getting bumped by passing traffic isn’t unheard of, but a hit hard enough to roll a riverboat onto her side is something else entirely.
River cruise ships like American Heritage are also built very differently from the big ocean ships most of us sail on. They’re shallow-draft vessels designed for calm inland waters, and they simply aren’t built to take a broadside hit from a loaded tanker.
Our thoughts are with everyone on board, their families, and the first responders working in that cold water right now. If you or someone you know was sailing on American Heritage, the best source for updates is going to be American Cruise Lines directly, along with the Port of New Orleans.
We’ll keep this post updated as more details come in.
