Officials looking for answers in New Orleans cruise ship collision
Officials continue looking for answers as to what led a tanker to collide Friday with a cruise boat docked on the Mississippi River in New Orleans.
The Atlantic Asphalt tanker collided with the American
Heritage, an American Cruise Lines’ paddlewheel ship, which was docked at the Port of New Orleans, at about 12:30 p.m. local time Friday. Officials said the tanker “lost control” before the crash.
"Ultimately this led to the cruise ship sinking and then turn on its side," New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said in a video posted on Facebook Friday night. "We did have many people go into the water, and I am just so incredibly grateful to say that all people are accounted for. We had zero casualties, and that is due to the amazing work of our first responders."
In total, 197 passengers and crew members affected in the crash have been accounted for, and there were no critical injuries reported, the Port of New Orleans said in a post on Facebook late Friday.
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Officials had said about 129 passengers, in addition to crew members, were aboard the riverboat at the time of the crash. It was docked at the Port of New Orleans, which sits along the Mississippi River in downtown New Orleans between the French Quarter and Algiers.
The loss of control was confirmed by U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Melanie Burnham, who said the tanker appeared to have “some type of loss of steering.”
Cruise ship flipped, leading to 'people in the water'
At a Friday afternoon press conference, Moreno said that after the collision, the cruise ship began to sink as passengers exited the ship. "Eventually the cruise ship toppled over and flipped,” she said. “Now, when that occurred, we started to have people in the water.”
Emergency boats were deployed to rescue passengers. Two Harbor Police officers who were aboard the cruise ship conducting rescue operations when it capsized were transported to area hospitals and subsequently released, according to the Port of New Orleans.
The U.S. Coast Guard said Friday that "our focus now shifts to safely reopening the river and coordinating salvage operations for the American Heritage."
The agency did not immediately respond to a request for updated information Saturday.
The National Transportation Safety Board posted on X late Friday that due to the ongoing delays from the nationwide air traffic ground stop, "the NTSB will no longer send a board member and will instead send a team of investigators by ground to the scene of the vessel collision in New Orleans."
American Cruise Lines thanked its crew and rescuers for their response to the incident in a post on X on Saturday. "The fast actions of Captain Leonard Stewart and our crew allowed for a rapid evacuation of the vessel after the American Heritage was struck by a large tanker while docked at the Port of New Orleans," the company said. "Captain Stewart remained on the bridge as the vessel capsized, calling for aid and keeping the ship alongside the dock for as long as possible."
We are proud of our crew and grateful for the first responders following yesterday’s incident on the Mississippi River. The fast actions of Captain Leonard Stewart and our crew allowed for a rapid evacuation of the vessel after the American Heritage was struck by a large tanker…
— American Cruise Lines (@American_Cruise) November 14, 2026
The cruise line will work with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Port of New Orleans and the New Orleans Police Department "through the investigation and salvage effort," the company said.
'A miracle'
Among the agencies responding to the crash were the New Orleans Fire Department, New Orleans Police Department, New Orleans EMS, the City of New Orleans, Louisiana State Police, Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, Louisiana National Guard, and the Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development.
"We had an all-call, meaning everyone rushed to the scene, local, state, federal. It was an all-hands-on-deck approach," Moreno said. "I also want to thank other vessels that were in the Mississippi who volunteered and helped us get people out out of the water as well. So incredibly grateful that everyone is accounted for. We had zero casualties. So tonight, I just want to say that this was a miracle, and that God is good."
Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, Fernando Cervantes Jr., and Josh Rivera.
Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads (mikegsnider), Bluesky (@mikegsnider.bsky.social), X (@mikesnider) and email him msnider@usatoday.com.