On a Friday afternoon beneath the Crescent City Connection bridge in New Orleans, a large tanker drifted from its path and struck a riverboat tied up at a city terminal, a reminder of how much depends on the steady hands that guide heavy things through narrow water. The port, which holds responsibility for the working edge of the river, has answered the damage by turning to federal court, seeking at least a million dollars from the ship and the companies that own and manage it. Everyone aboard the riverboat was brought safely to shore, though a third of them needed medical care. The claim now
Port of New Orleans Sues Tanker Owners After Collision Sank Riverboat American Heritage
All 192 passengers aboard the American Heritage were rescued, but 32 required hospital treatment.
The suit makes clear that $1 million is a floor, not a final count.
Mark
Why did the port file so fast, the same evening as the crash?
Mimi
The suit asks for a maritime lien and an arrest warrant for the tanker. Seizing the ship keeps it available to the court while the claim moves forward.
Luke
Worth noting that the speed shows the port's position, not a finding. Nothing in the reporting says a court has decided what caused this.
Mark
What does the suit say caused it?
Mimi
It alleges negligence and gross negligence by the Atlantic Asphalt, and says the ship appeared to lose control under the Crescent City Connection bridge before veering right into the docked American Heritage.
Luke
"Appeared to lose control" is the careful part. Why it lost control is not established in what we have.
Mark
Why name both Nave Shipping and Thome?
Mimi
The suit describes Nave as registered owner and ship and commercial manager, and Thome as the ISM manager responsible for the safety code aboard. It also leaves room for other unidentified parties.
Luke
And that ownership description is drawn from publicly available information, per the suit. It's the plaintiff's account.
Mark
Is the $1 million the real cost?
Mimi
It's described as a current estimate of physical damage, with more expected.
Luke
Right, and how much more is unknown. The passenger side is similar: all 192 were rescued and 32 were hospitalized, but their conditions aren't described.
El Pulso
- A 525-foot tanker lost control under a busy bridge and slammed into a paddlewheel riverboat that was tied up and carrying 192 people.
- The American Heritage capsized and partly sank, turning a routine afternoon at the Thalia Street Terminal into a scene of rescue.
- The Port of New Orleans moved to court within hours, filing a federal suit for at least $1 million against the tanker and its owners.
- Three defendants are named, including the ship itself, leaving the Liberian owner and Singapore-based manager to answer for negligence.
- Federal marshals have been directed to seize the Atlantic Asphalt, holding it within the court's reach while the claim grows.
- The damage figure is still climbing as investigators examine the terminal, and the port has signaled that $1 million is only a starting point.
On a Friday afternoon beneath the Crescent City Connection bridge in New Orleans, a large tanker drifted from its path and struck a riverboat tied up at a city terminal, a reminder of how much depends on the steady hands that guide heavy things through narrow water. The port, which holds responsibility for the working edge of the river, has answered the damage by turning to federal court, seeking at least a million dollars from the ship and the companies that own and manage it. Everyone aboard the riverboat was brought safely to shore, though a third of them needed medical care. The claim now moves forward slowly, and its real measure will only become clear as the damage to the terminal is fully understood.
On Friday afternoon, the tanker Atlantic Asphalt, a 525-foot vessel, appeared to lose control as it passed beneath the Crescent City Connection bridge in New Orleans. According to court documents, it veered to the right and struck the American Heritage, a paddlewheel cruise ship tied up at the Thalia Street Terminal. The riverboat capsized and partly sank.
All 192 passengers aboard were rescued. Thirty-two of them needed hospital treatment.
By that evening, the Port of New Orleans had gone to federal court in the Eastern District of Louisiana, seeking at least $1 million. The suit says the collision damaged the terminal where the riverboat was docked. It names the vessel itself, its Liberian registered owner Nave Shipping SA, and its Singapore-based safety manager Thome Ship Management, and it blames the crash on the tanker's negligence. The port argues that the costs of cleanup, repair and salvage give it a maritime lien against the ship.
An arrest warrant has been issued, directing federal marshals to seize the Atlantic Asphalt. The port says the damage is still being assessed and expects the final cost to grow. The coming weeks will show whether the tanker is taken into custody and how large the bill becomes.
On Friday afternoon, a 525-foot tanker called the Atlantic Asphalt appeared to lose control as it passed beneath the Crescent City Connection bridge in New Orleans. According to court documents, the ship veered to the right and struck the American Heritage, a paddlewheel cruise ship tied up at the Thalia Street Terminal. The riverboat capsized and partially sank.
There were 192 passengers aboard. Authorities said all of them were rescued, and 32 needed hospital treatment.
By Friday evening, the Port of New Orleans had gone to court. The Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans filed a federal lawsuit in the Eastern District of Louisiana seeking at least $1 million. The suit says the collision damaged the Thalia Street Terminal, the port facility where the American Heritage was docked.
Three defendants are named: the vessel Atlantic Asphalt itself, Nave Shipping SA, and Thome Ship Management Pte Ltd. The suit describes Nave Shipping as a corporation registered in Liberia and, citing publicly available information, as the registered owner, ship manager and commercial manager of the tanker. Thome is described as a private limited company based in Singapore and as the ship's ISM manager, the party responsible for carrying out the International Safety Management code aboard the vessel.
The complaint attributes the crash to the "negligence, gross negligence, fault or carelessness of the Atlantic Asphalt." It calls the event an allision, the term for a moving vessel striking one that is securely moored. The suit also says other parties not yet identified may share responsibility for the tanker's operation, condition, crewing and seaworthiness. It asserts that the ship, Nave Shipping and Thome are solidarily liable for all damages the Board sustained.
The port says the damage is still being assessed. The filing states that the physical damage is currently estimated to exceed $1 million, with "additional substantial direct, indirect and consequential damages anticipated." The Board says it has incurred, and will keep incurring, costs for cleanup, surveys, repair, replacement and salvage, and it argues those costs give rise to a maritime lien against the Atlantic Asphalt.
An arrest warrant for the ship was also issued. It directs federal marshals to seize and hold the Atlantic Asphalt, a step that keeps the vessel within the court's reach while the claim proceeds.
The Port is represented by Christopher Hannan, Sara Kuebel and Abigail Weiland of the New Orleans firm Jones Walker. Court records show the case was initially assigned to U.S. District Judge Wendy Vitter, chief judge at the federal courthouse in New Orleans, and to Magistrate Judge Karen Wells Roby.
What to watch next is whether marshals take custody of the tanker, and whether the port's damage figure grows as the Thalia Street Terminal is examined. The suit itself makes clear that $1 million is a floor, not a final count.
Citas Notables
Physical damage is currently estimated to exceed $1 million with additional substantial direct, indirect and consequential damages anticipated.— Port of New Orleans lawsuit
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