A serious maritime accident occurred this Friday in New Orleans, United States. An oil tanker collided with a river cruise ship moored on the banks of the Mississippi, causing it to capsize and partially submerge. Several passengers ended up in the water, triggering a major rescue operation. Despite the severity of the impact, no fatalities have been reported. In total, 32 people were hospitalized.
The oil tanker crashes head-on into the cruise ship
The accident occurred around 12:30 p.m. local time near the port of New Orleans, Louisiana. The oil tanker Atlantic Asphalt, flying the Marshall Islands flag, struck the American Heritage, a river cruise ship operated by American Cruise Lines.
The passenger vessel had been moored for about two hours and disembarkation operations had begun. The much larger oil tanker hit the ship on the side, causing a significant breach.
Under the force of the impact, the American Heritage began to tilt before capsizing onto its side. Within minutes, a large part of its structure was underwater, while passengers tried to leave the ship.
Footage filmed from the docks shows the cruise ship almost entirely lying on its side, just a few meters from the oil tanker. Several people appear in the water or clinging to parts of the ship still above water.
Passengers in the Mississippi, a major rescue operation
The collision immediately mobilized the U.S. Coast Guard, firefighters, port police, and several vessels present on the Mississippi. Private boats also participated in the operations to recover passengers who fell into the water.
At least 14 people were directly rescued from the river. Others were evacuated from accessible parts of the cruise ship. Operations were complicated by the position of the ship, partially submerged, and the Mississippi currents.
Surviving passengers were taken to an administrative building at the port, where authorities conducted a headcount to ensure no one was missing.
The toll communicated by authorities reports 32 people hospitalized, including 30 passengers and two port police officers injured during the rescue. No one is in critical condition.
« A miracle on the Mississippi »: no deaths or missing persons
The mayor of New Orleans, Helena Moreno, confirmed that all persons on board had been found. She described the outcome of this accident as a « miracle on the Mississippi, » given the severity of the collision and the number of passengers thrown into the water.
Authorities emphasized the speed of the rescue response. Several crews navigating nearby arrived immediately after the accident, enabling the recovery of people before they were swept away by the current.
The American Heritage, built in 2015, operated tourist cruises on the Mississippi. The ship, equipped with several decks, could accommodate about 150 passengers. The figures reported on the exact number of people on board at the time of the accident varied, but authorities confirmed that all passengers and crew members were accounted for.
A possible failure of the oil tanker’s steering system
The exact circumstances of the collision remain to be determined. Initial elements gathered by investigators suggest a possible loss of control of the oil tanker, which may have experienced a steering problem before striking the cruise ship.
Melanie Montroll, head of the New Orleans port police, indicated that a failure of the steering system is among the hypotheses being examined. This lead still needs to be confirmed by technical investigations.
The U.S. Coast Guard has opened an investigation, while the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the federal agency responsible for investigating transportation accidents, announced the deployment of a specialized team.
River traffic was halted on a portion of the Mississippi, between markers 93 and 96, to secure operations around the two damaged vessels. The American Heritage remained lying on its side, partially submerged, in front of the port facilities of New Orleans.
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