Tanker collides with cruise ship in New Orleans, 32 hospitalized

A tanker ship collided with a luxury paddle wheeler docked in New Orleans on the Mississippi River on Friday, causing the cruise vessel to roll over and sink as passengers scurried to disembark and dozens were flung into the water. All aboard the stricken ship were accounted for after harbor personnel, firefighters and onlookers scrambled to pull fallen passengers to safety, New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno told a press conference. Hailing the outcome as “a miracle on the Mississippi,” she said 32 passengers from American Cruise Lines paddle wheeler American Heritage were hospitalized, but “none with any type of critical injuries.” Moreno said roughly 180 to 190 passengers and crew members were aboard the American Heritage at the time of the mishap. The cruise ship has a capacity for 150 passengers and was built in 2015, American Cruise Lines said on its website. The accident occurred about midday when the tanker ship, the Atlantic Asphalt, “lost control and collided” with the docked cruise vessel, Moreno said. As passengers began fleeing, the cruise ship started to sink and eventually “toppled over and flipped,” dumping people into the river, the mayor said. Harbor Police Chief Melanie Montroll said about 87 passengers from the American Heritage disembarked before the vessel capsized, according to the joint news site of the New Orleans Advocate and Times-Picayune. Moreno credited a swift response by local, state and federal personnel and bystanders from other vessels for preventing any loss of life. The US Coast Guard said in an emailed statement that all river traffic was closed in the vicinity of the accident following the collision. Coast Guard Captain Melanie Burnham told the New Orleans Advocate that the tanker appeared to have experienced some sort of steering failure but the cause of the mishap remained under investigation. American Cruise Lines said in an emailed statement that it was coordinating with the Coast Guard and local authorities. “Guests and crew were evacuated, and we are deeply concerned for everyone involved,” the company said.