The 160-metre Marshall Islands-flagged asphalt carrier Atlantic Asphalt struck American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage on the Mississippi River. The riverboat capsized, but all passengers and crew were accounted for and no fatalities were reported.

NEW ORLEANS, 14 November 2026

A tanker struck a docked passenger riverboat on the Mississippi River in New Orleans on Friday, causing the passenger vessel to capsize and leaving 32 people requiring hospital treatment. All passengers and crew aboard both vessels were accounted for, with no fatalities reported, officials said.

The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Atlantic Asphalt struck American Cruise Lines’ paddlewheel riverboat American Heritage at approximately 12:30 p.m. local time on 13 November near the Port of New Orleans. The riverboat had docked about two hours earlier and was beginning to disembark passengers when the incident occurred.

The impact caused the five-storey passenger vessel to take on water, roll onto its side and become partially submerged alongside the quay. Several people entered the river and were rescued by emergency responders and nearby vessels.

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said 32 people were taken to local hospitals. The group included 30 passengers and two harbour police officers involved in the rescue operation. None suffered critical injuries, and no injuries were reported among the tanker’s crew.

American Heritage, operated by American Cruise Lines, has a capacity of up to 150 passengers.

Investigation Underway

The cause of the incident remains under investigation. US Coast Guard Captain Melanie Burnham said initial observations suggested the tanker may have experienced a loss of steering, but the exact reason had not been established.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it was deploying a specialist investigation team to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The Coast Guard temporarily closed a three-mile section of the Mississippi River between mile markers 93 and 96 while rescue and response operations were under way.

Vessel records identify Atlantic Asphalt (IMO 9798428) as a 17,764 dwt asphalt and bitumen carrier built by Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard in China in 2017. The vessel measures 160 metres in length and sails under the Marshall Islands flag.