About 100 people ended up in the Mississippi River after a tanker hit a docked cruise ship in New Orleans on Friday, officials said Saturday. The Coast Guard is preparing for a salvage effort that could take several weeks.
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said 191 passengers and crew members were aboard the American Heritage when the tanker Atlantic Asphalt struck it near the Port of New Orleans.
All aboard survived. Eight people were still hospitalized Saturday, including two in serious condition; the other six were stable, officials said.
Coast Guard Capt. Melanie Burnham said crews planned to remove about 16,000 gallons of fuel from the cruise ship before salvage work begins. Divers were expected to inspect the vessel, while pollution response teams watched for leaks.
Officials had not found any material in the river that needed to be removed, Burnham said, though she cautioned that hazardous substances could escape during the recovery work.
“As the mayor said, we’re talking weeks, not days. We’re going to do this safely and make sure it’s done right,” Burnham said.
Moreno said the American Heritage’s captain was injured but stayed aboard until passengers and crew had been accounted for. He was the last person to leave the vessel.
“Every moment of the critical time Friday, he did not want to leave his ship,” Moreno said. The captain initially declined medical care until he knew where everyone was, she added.
Port of New Orleans Harbor Police Chief Melanie Montro said responders evacuated more than 80 people before the ship overturned, while roughly 100 ended up in the river.
Montro estimated the American Heritage capsized about 30 to 45 minutes after the collision, though investigators are still working to establish the timeline.
Officials said life jackets, along with the fast response from emergency crews and nearby vessels, helped prevent deaths.
Investigators are looking into a possible steering problem with the tanker. The cause of the collision has not yet been determined.
“I can say that I have no indication this is related to terrorism in any way, shape or form,” Burnham said. “But investigators will continue working through that.”
National Transportation Safety Board investigators began arriving Saturday after travel disruptions delayed their response.
The collision happened at about 12:30 p.m. local time Friday. The American Heritage had been docked for roughly two hours when the tanker struck it. The cruise ship began taking on water and later capsized.
The Atlantic Asphalt has been moved away from the collision site, and the Coast Guard has partially reopened the river to two-way traffic. A 500-foot safety zone remains around the wreck.
American Cruise Lines, the company that operates the American Heritage, is working with local officials to help passengers displaced by the incident as the investigation and recovery efforts continue.
