Tanker slams docked New Orleans riverboat; all about 180 aboard survive, 32 hospitalized

A tanker in New Orleans that apparently lost its steering slammed into a docked five-deck paddlewheel cruise boat on the Mississippi River on Friday (November 13), capsizing the vessel and throwing passengers into the water. Mayor Helena Moreno said all about 180 people aboard the American Heritage were accounted for, 32 were taken to hospital, and none was critically injured or missing.

Boat began listing within minutes

The collision happened at about 12:30 p.m. local time outside the Port of New Orleans administration building. The riverboat had docked about two hours earlier to begin disembarking passengers at the end of an eight-day cruise along the Mississippi. Port officials said about 129 passengers plus crew were aboard; the Associated Press, citing the mayor, put the total at about 180 people. About 87 people got off before the boat rolled onto its side; the rest were pulled from the river in a rescue that took about 30 to 45 minutes.

Joint rescue effort hailed as a “miracle on the Mississippi”

Harbor Police, New Orleans firefighters, city police, the US Coast Guard and tugboat crews worked together on the rescue, and the riverboat Creole Queen pulled at least 14 people from the water, which was about 66 degrees Fahrenheit (19 degrees Celsius). The 32 hospitalized included 30 passengers and two Harbor Police officers who went into the river to help; both officers were in good condition. “We have zero people unaccounted for, which truly is a miracle on the Mississippi,” Moreno told a news conference.

Tanker may have lost steering; investigation under way

The tanker, the Atlantic Asphalt, is about 520 feet (160 metres) long, sails under the flag of the Marshall Islands and specializes in carrying asphalt and bitumen. Citing vessel-tracking data, the AP reported its owner is a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corp. Moreno and the Coast Guard said investigators are examining whether the tanker lost steering before veering into the cruise boat; no one aboard the tanker was hurt. The Coast Guard closed a three-mile stretch of the river, and the National Transportation Safety Board is sending a Go Team expected to arrive on Saturday morning.

Sources: Associated Press; Port of New Orleans; US Coast Guard. Figures for the number of people aboard differ slightly between the port and the mayor; both are given above.