180 people survive after tanker strikes docked New Orleans paddleboat

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno announced Friday that all 180 passengers and crew members aboard a docked river cruise boat survived after being struck by a large tanker on the Mississippi River. The collision occurred when the Atlantic Asphalt tanker hit the American Heritage, causing the paddleboat to take on water and begin listing within minutes.

The immediate aftermath triggered a rapid response from tugboat operators, nearby workers, police, and other rescuers. The paddleboat flipped over while emergency crews were still evacuating people from the vessel. Dozens of individuals in the water, along with at least two police officers, were pulled from the 66-degree Fahrenheit river onto adjacent ships.

Thirty-two people were transported to hospitals, but the mayor reported that none had critical injuries. Moreno stated at a news conference that there were zero people unaccounted for, a result she described as a miracle on the Mississippi. Uninjured passengers were moved to a nearby auditorium where cruise officials conducted a roll call to verify everyone was safe.

The crash happened while the American Heritage was finishing an eight-day cruise to destinations in Louisiana and Mississippi. The five-story vessel, built in 2015 and operated by American Cruise Lines, can hold up to 150 passengers. It was sailing under a Marshall Islands flag and had New Orleans as its final destination. The tanker involved is 520 feet long and specializes in carrying asphalt and bitumen.

Coast Guard Capt. Melanie Burnham said the tanker appeared to have suffered some type of loss of steering, though the exact cause remained unknown. Martin Davies, a maritime law expert at Tulane University, suggested the incident involved a catastrophic system failure and poor timing, as the ship was traveling slowly upriver. The tanker had already completed the difficult Algiers Point turn before the impact. The National Transportation Safety Board planned to investigate, but members initially could not reach New Orleans because nationwide flights were grounded due to air traffic control communications problems.

The Atlantic Asphalt tanker is owned by a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, a state-owned conglomerate. The subsidiary is registered in Liberia. China State Shipbuilding Corporation did not respond to a request for comment on Friday. The vessel had local pilots on board to guide it through the waters.

Many passengers lost identification and car keys during the incident. Most were from out of town and needed phone chargers, food, hotel rooms, and transportation to contact their families. The crash has drawn national attention, with survivors working to reconnect with loved ones after the chaotic evacuation.