Breaking: Tanker Strikes Docked Riverboat American Heritage in New Orleans: 129 Passengers Aboard, Vessel Listing and Partially Submerged as Rescues Continue
Port of New Orleans officials said a tanker struck the docked river cruise ship American Heritage on the Mississippi River at about 12:30 p.m. Central time on November 13. The riverboat was carrying 129 passengers plus crew, listed severely and became partially submerged after the impact, and search-and-rescue operations were continuing on Friday afternoon. Officials had not confirmed the number of injuries or the cause of the collision. This is a developing story.
The collision happened outside the Port of New Orleans Administration Building at 1350 Port of New Orleans Place, near mile marker 96. American Heritage, a paddlewheel riverboat operated by American Cruise Lines with capacity for 150 passengers and built in 2015, had docked about two hours earlier so passengers could disembark. The striking vessel was the asphalt tanker Atlantic Asphalt.
Video from the scene showed the tanker hitting the stationary riverboat, which tipped onto its side and partially submerged, with people in life jackets in the water. CBS News reported that at least 14 people had been rescued from the water, and local station WDSU, citing the mayor's office, reported that more than a dozen people had been taken to hospital. New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno's team said multiple individuals had been rescued and that search-and-rescue operations remained ongoing.
The U.S. Coast Guard said the Mississippi River was closed to all vessel traffic between mile markers 93 and 96 until further notice. Port of New Orleans Harbor Police, the New Orleans Fire Department, the New Orleans Police Department and emergency medical crews responded, and evacuated passengers were taken inside the port administration building for triage and assistance. American Cruise Lines said its riverboat had been involved in a collision while docked in New Orleans, that guests and crew were evacuated, and that it was deeply concerned for everyone involved and in close coordination with the Coast Guard and local authorities.
As of Friday afternoon, neither the port nor the Coast Guard had released a confirmed injury count, and no official explanation had been given for why the tanker struck the docked vessel. The cause is under investigation.
(Source: Port of New Orleans)
Source: Port of New Orleans
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Photo: 图：「美国遗产号」内河游船资料图（图中为该船原名「密西西比皇后号」时期，摄于密西西比河上）。Benroethig 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The riverboat American Heritage in a file photo, pictured under her former name Queen of the Mississippi on the Mississippi River. Photo by Benroethig, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
