Cruise Ship Capsizes with 129 Passengers Aboard After Tanker Slams into It at the Dock

The American Heritage had been docked in New Orleans for about two hours when a 520-foot tanker struck it just after noon Friday.

As passengers tried to get ashore, the riverboat began taking on water. It rolled onto its side before everyone could get off, leaving some people clinging to balcony railings and others floating in the Mississippi in life jackets.

By late afternoon, New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno confirmed that every passenger and crew member had survived. Thirty-two people were taken to hospitals, including two Harbor Police officers who had gone into the water to help. None had critical injuries.

The American Cruise Lines paddlewheeler was finishing an eight-day trip through Louisiana and Mississippi. Port officials estimated that about 129 passengers, plus crew, were aboard when the tanker Atlantic Asphalt struck around 12:30 p.m.

Witness Jamie Holford, who watched the riverboat tip, told WDSU how quickly it happened. “Fifteen minutes from impact to where it rolled over.”

Tugboat crews and workers along the docks joined firefighters and police in pulling people from the river onto nearby vessels. On shore, emergency crews used the port’s administration building to examine passengers and determine who needed hospital care. The Coast Guard closed a three-mile stretch of the Mississippi to other vessels during the rescue.

Coast Guard Capt. Melanie Burnham said early indications suggested the tanker had lost steering. What caused that apparent loss of control remained unclear Friday. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were expected in New Orleans Saturday morning.