River Cruise Ship With Nearly 200 People Aboard Capsizes After Tanker Strikes It In New Orleans

Riverboat American Heritage capsized on the Mississippi River in New Orleans on November 13, 2026, after the tanker Atlantic Asphalt struck it while it was docked, sending 32 people to hospitals.

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno told a news briefing that between 180 and 190 passengers and crew were on board, and all of them have been accounted for. She called the outcome a ‘miracle on the Mississippi’.

The collision took place at around 12:30 p.m. local time, according to the Port of New Orleans. The American Cruise Lines riverboat had docked about two hours earlier to let passengers disembark at the end of a weeklong cruise on the river.

The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker was northbound and had just passed under the Crescent City Connection bridge when it veered towards the riverfront. A local river pilot was reportedly on board the tanker at the time.

The commander of Coast Guard Sector New Orleans said the tanker appeared to have suffered some type of loss of steering. Investigators have not yet confirmed what caused the steering problem.

The tanker hit the American Heritage while passengers were still leaving the vessel. The riverboat began listing and rolled onto its side within minutes, which threw many people into the water.

The chief of the New Orleans Harbor Police informed that 87 people got off the vessel before it capsized. Her officers were the first to respond and entered the river to pull people to safety.

Firefighters extended ladders from the dock, and volunteer crews used their own boats to help in the rescue. The 32 people taken to hospitals included 30 passengers and two police officers, all with non-life-threatening injuries.

The American Heritage entered service in 2015 as the Queen of the Mississippi. It got its current name in 2022, when its operator added the word American to the names of its ships.

Vessel traffic on the river was stopped between mile markers 93 and 96 on Coast Guard orders while responders checked the site. The sector commander added that the riverboat is significantly damaged, with only a small part of it still above the waterline.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry promised to find out what went wrong and make the changes needed so that people can travel safely on the waterway.

The Coast Guard is investigating the collision along with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which has sent a team to New Orleans.

References: ABC News, WorkBoat, Bloomberg (via Business Standard)