Riverboat American Heritage Capsizes After Tanker Strike in New Orleans

The American Heritage, a riverboat operated by American Cruise Lines, capsized and partially sank in the Mississippi River at about 12:30 p.m. today, Nov. 13, after the tanker Atlantic Asphalt struck it at the Port of New Orleans. About 129 passengers were on board at the time.

The ship was docked and passengers were said to be disembarking when the collision occurred on the New Orleans side of the river, near the Crescent City Connection bridge. The vessel listed and capsized immediately after impact. Images from the scene showed the tanker's bow pushed into the riverboat's side, with the American Heritage rolled over against the dock and largely underwater.

What Do We Know About Casualties?

Early figures are incomplete, and officials are careful to say so. Further reports said eight people have been transported to a local hospital and over 80 have been treated at the port. Some people have been rescued from the river.

Port NOLA Harbor Police, the New Orleans Fire Department, the New Orleans Police Department, the U.S. Coast Guard and emergency medical personnel are on scene running rescue and response operations. Port officials said passengers were being brought into the Port of New Orleans Administration Building for triage and assistance.

"Our immediate priority is the safety of all passengers, crew members and first responders. This remains an active and evolving incident," the Port said in a statement. It added that the number of injuries and the cause of the allision (a maritime term for a vessel striking a fixed or stationary object) have not yet been confirmed.

Who Is Responding?

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said multiple people had been rescued and that search-and-rescue operations were still underway. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said his office was in close contact with local officials and law enforcement, and that he was on his way to New Orleans. A senior White House official said President Trump had been briefed.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it was responding with local partners to a collision between a tanker and a cruise ship near mile marker 96. It has partly closed the river — a step with knock-on effects for Mississippi River shipping traffic, though the extent isn't yet quantified.

What's the Word From the Operator?

Not much. American Cruise Lines had not issued a statement at the time of publication. For a line that markets U.S. river cruising as a calm, domestic alternative to ocean cruising, a capsized vessel with passengers mid-disembarkation is about the hardest image to manage. The absence of a statement, hours into an active incident, leaves questions about liability, cause and compensation entirely to investigators for now.

The cause of the allision will matter commercially as well as legally. If the tanker is found at fault, claims will run toward its operator and insurers; if the docked vessel or port procedures contributed, American Cruise Lines faces exposure on a ship likely written off. Neither scenario is confirmed, and the Coast Guard investigation has effectively just begun.

This is a developing story and will be updated.