On a November evening in New Orleans, a loaded asphalt tanker drifted without steering into a river cruise ship tied up at its berth, and the American Heritage rolled into the Mississippi with nearly two hundred people aboard. That every one of them came out alive says less about luck than about the small, unglamorous preparations of a crew that handed out life vests before the water came. The larger questions now belong to federal investigators and the courts: why a ship of this size lost its ability to steer, and who must answer for the damage left along the riverbank.
New Orleans Port Sues to Seize Tanker That Crashed Into Cruise Ship on the Mississippi
32 people were hospitalized, including two police officers, after passengers and crew were thrown into the Mississippi River when the cruise ship rolled; eight remained hospitalized Saturday.
"They taught us not to drown."
Mark
Everyone survived, which seems almost surprising given the ship rolled. What made the difference?
Mimi
Police Chief Melanie Montroll pointed to the life vests. The crew had passengers put them on while waiting to leave, so when the boat rolled, people floated rather than sank.
Mark
Why would a port sue within hours?
Mimi
The suit lets federal investigators take control of the tanker. A judge issued the warrant Friday, and the port also says the terminal took at least $1 million in damage.
Luke
Worth noting that $1 million is stated as a minimum in the suit, not an assessed total. It's the port's claim.
Mark
The owner is tied to a Chinese state company. Does that matter here?
Mimi
It's part of the story, since Nave Shipping is a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation. The company didn't respond to a request for comment.
Luke
But be careful. That parentage comes from MarineTraffic, while the IMO is the source for Nave's Liberian registration. Nothing reported links ownership to the cause of the crash.
Mark
And the cause?
Mimi
The tanker appeared to lose steering. The NTSB is sending investigators.
Luke
Appeared is the key word. Burnham said the exact cause isn't known, so anything firmer would be guessing.
Mark
What's the practical next step?
Mimi
Removing 16,000 gallons of fuel from the cruise ship, which could take weeks to move.
The Pulse
- A horn sounded again and again as the tanker bore down on a ship that had nowhere to go.
- Within seconds the cruise ship began to lean, and passengers were pitched into the muddy river, where the water sat at 66 degrees.
- Tugboat crews, passing ship captains, dockworkers, and police raced to haul people out of the current.
- A judge's warrant now holds the tanker in federal hands while the NTSB works to learn why its steering failed.
- The cruise ship lies on its side against the terminal, and removing 16,000 gallons of fuel could take weeks before it can be righted.
On a November evening in New Orleans, a loaded asphalt tanker drifted without steering into a river cruise ship tied up at its berth, and the American Heritage rolled into the Mississippi with nearly two hundred people aboard. That every one of them came out alive says less about luck than about the small, unglamorous preparations of a crew that handed out life vests before the water came. The larger questions now belong to federal investigators and the courts: why a ship of this size lost its ability to steer, and who must answer for the damage left along the riverbank.
The first warning aboard the American Heritage was a horn. Passenger Joe Knab told WDSU-TV that the tanker drifting toward the docked river cruise ship sounded it several times. Then came the impact, and the ship began to lean almost at once.
The crew gathered passengers on the third deck, handed out life vests, and started moving people toward the exits. Before the evacuation finished, the boat rolled. Knab and roughly 100 others went into the muddy Mississippi, where the water was 66 degrees Fahrenheit. Tugboat operators, captains of nearby cruise ships, workers and police rushed to pull people out.
All 197 passengers and crew survived, as did the tanker's crew. Thirty-two people were taken to hospitals, including two police officers, and none of the injuries were critical. Knab, who spent about 15 minutes in the water, said it was frightening and credited his twenty years in the Navy: "They taught us not to drown."
New Orleans Harbor Police Chief Melanie Montroll said the life vests probably saved many lives. Within hours, the Port of New Orleans sued to let federal investigators take control of the tanker, the Atlantic Asphalt, which caused at least $1 million in terminal damage. A judge's warrant now gives federal officials control of the ship. Its owner, Nave Shipping, is a subsidiary of a Chinese state-owned shipbuilder, which has not commented.
The cruise ship remains on its side and may take weeks to move. The NTSB is sending investigators to learn why the tanker lost steering, and the answers, along with questions of liability, are what come next.
The first warning aboard the American Heritage was a horn. Passenger Joe Knab told WDSU-TV that the tanker bearing down on the docked river cruise ship sounded it several times as it drifted toward them. Then came the impact, and the ship began to lean almost at once.
The crew gathered passengers on the third deck, handed out life vests, and started moving people toward the exits. Before the evacuation could finish, the boat rolled. Knab and roughly 100 other passengers and crew went into the muddy Mississippi, where the water was 66 degrees Fahrenheit (19 Celsius). Tugboat operators, captains of other cruise ships, nearby workers and police went to help pull people out.
All 197 passengers and crew on the American Heritage survived, as did the crew of the tanker. Officials said 32 people were taken to hospitals, among them two police officers who were thrown into the river when the boat rolled. None of the injuries were critical, and eight people were still hospitalized Saturday. The American Heritage had been finishing an eight-day cruise to several Mississippi River destinations.
Knab, who guessed he spent about 15 minutes in the water, said it was frightening. He thought he was drowning because he kept bobbing under, and he said the river doesn't taste good. He credited his 20 years in the Navy and said, "They taught us not to drown." Afterward he was wearing a shirt from the Hilton where passengers gathered, still in his mud-caked jeans. His other belongings were in the river, though his cellphone somehow still worked. He hoped to fly home to Wichita, Kansas, but a nationwide ground stop on Friday left that uncertain.
New Orleans Harbor Police Chief Melanie Montroll said that having passengers put on life vests while they waited to leave the boat probably saved a number of lives when it rolled. Whether the water is 10 feet or 200 feet deep, she said, the vests let people float upriver while rescuers retrieve them, and she called that the best factor in the outcome.
Within hours of the crash, the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans sued to make sure federal investigators could take control of the tanker, the Atlantic Asphalt. The suit says the vessel caused at least $1 million in damage to the port's terminal. A judge issued a warrant Friday that gives federal officials control of the ship for now. The tanker has since been towed from the site.
The Atlantic Asphalt is 520 feet (160 meters) long and flies the flag of the Marshall Islands. According to MarineTraffic, New Orleans was its final destination, and it specializes in hauling large quantities of asphalt and bitumen, the semi-solid material used in road construction and roofing. The International Maritime Organization lists its owner as Nave Shipping SA, registered in Monrovia, Liberia, and Nave is a defendant in the lawsuit. MarineTraffic describes Nave as a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, a state-owned Chinese conglomerate. That company did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
The cruise ship is a slower problem. Coast Guard Capt. Melanie Burnham told reporters Saturday that it remains on its side against a terminal and could take weeks to move. The first task is safely removing the 16,000 gallons (60,500 liters) of fuel aboard. River traffic has been limited, though Burnham expects boats to be able to travel upstream and downstream soon.
The tanker appeared to lose steering, Burnham said, but the exact cause is not known. The National Transportation Safety Board is sending investigators to New Orleans, and their findings, along with any liability for the terminal damage, are what to watch next.
Notable Quotes
They taught us not to drown.— Joe Knab, passenger and Navy veteran
Having passengers put on life vests was the best factor of success.— Melanie Montroll, New Orleans Harbor Police Chief (paraphrased)
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