All 197 passengers and crew members were accounted for after a tanker struck a river cruise ship on the Mississippi River in New Orleans on Friday. The collision injured 32 people, but officials confirmed that nobody died or suffered critical injuries. New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno called the rescue effort a “miracle on the Mississippi.”
The crash happened at about 12:30pm when the Atlantic Asphalt tanker hit the American Heritage cruise ship near the Port of New Orleans. The cruise vessel had 197 passengers on board at the time. It had arrived at the port about two hours earlier to begin passenger departures.
Emergency teams rushed to the scene after several people fell into the river. Thirty-two people were taken to nearby hospitals. Most of the injured passengers had bumps and bruises, according to officials. Two others were harbor police officers who joined the rescue work after the collision.
Moreno said every passenger and crew member had been found. She praised the emergency teams for their quick response and coordination. Firefighters, police officers, Coast Guard teams and nearby tugboat crews worked together to bring people out of the water.
The rescue became more urgent because the Mississippi River has strong currents and dangerous conditions. Several people were seen wearing life jackets or holding flotation rings while rescue crews pulled them from the water.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry also praised the response. He said the number of people on board made the safe rescue especially important. He noted that the river was not a calm body of water and that rescue teams faced serious challenges.
Officials have not confirmed the exact cause of the collision. However, US Coast Guard commander Melanie Burnham said the tanker appeared to have suffered some type of steering failure.
Video footage of the incident showed the Atlantic Asphalt hitting the side of the American Heritage. The impact caused the cruise ship to roll onto its side. A witness told local television station WDSU that the ship took about 15 minutes to roll over after the collision.
Maritime law expert Martin J Davies of Tulane University said the tanker should have had a local river pilot on board. Such pilots understand the Mississippi River and its difficult turns. Davies said the available video appeared to show a major system failure on the tanker.
He also said the tanker was fortunate not to hit the Crescent City Connection bridge. The bridge connects parts of New Orleans and carries about 160,000 vehicles each day. A collision with the structure could have created another serious emergency.
Passengers described a frightening experience inside the cruise ship. Tamara Carrasco, a 65-year-old passenger from Atlanta, told local journalist Blake Paterson that she was eating in the dining room when she saw the tanker moving towards the vessel.
Carrasco said she tried to reach the other side of the ship before the impact knocked her to the floor. Water then began entering the dining area. She described the scene as similar to the sinking of the Titanic.
Other witnesses also reported hearing people calling for help. Staff at the nearby Ernest N Morial Convention Center prepared wheelchairs, drinking water and other supplies in case rescued passengers needed assistance.
After the evacuation, passengers were taken to the Port of New Orleans administration building. Many had lost personal items, including identification cards, phones and car keys.
Moreno said the city was helping affected passengers arrange food, hotel rooms and transportation. Officials were also working to help people access prescription medicines and other essential items.
The river was temporarily closed between mile markers 93 and 96 to support rescue operations. Coast Guard officials said their next priority was to reopen the waterway to normal traffic.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the collision. US House Majority Leader Steve Scalise confirmed that the agency would examine the incident. The NTSB later said investigators would travel by road to reach the scene after nationwide flight disruptions affected air travel.
American Cruise Lines confirmed that passengers and crew members had been evacuated from the American Heritage. The company said it was deeply concerned about everyone involved.
The American Heritage is a 300-foot paddlewheel cruise ship built in 2015. It has more than 80 guest rooms and operates trips along the Mississippi River.
The Atlantic Asphalt is an oil tanker measuring about 525 feet in length. It was built in 2017 and carries asphalt and bitumen, materials widely used in road construction and roofing.
The crash also brought back memories of a 1996 incident in New Orleans. A cargo ship struck a wharf near the Riverwalk shopping area after losing propulsion power. That incident caused more than 60 injuries but no deaths.
Friday’s collision caused major damage and disrupted river traffic. However, the successful rescue of everyone aboard the American Heritage became the most important outcome of the emergency.
