Tanker hits cruise ship in New Orleans, triggering rescue

Cameron Fozi, Bloomberg News on Nov 13, 2026

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A tanker collided with a docked river cruise ship carrying more than hundred passengers and crew members on the Mississippi River in New Orleans on Friday, leaving the smaller vessel partly submerged and setting off a rescue operation.

The Atlantic Asphalt tanker collided with the American Heritage, operated by American Cruise Lines, around 12:30 p.m. near the Port of New Orleans, according to a statement from port spokesperson Kimberly Curth.

The cruise ship had docked about two hours earlier to begin disembarking passengers and still had about 129 passengers and an unspecified number of crew members aboard.

Video of the incident aired by local television station WDSU, an NBC affiliate, showed a larger tanker approaching the docked cruise ship before the two vessels collided. Later footage showed the American Heritage tipped onto its side and partly submerged in the river.

Multiple people had been rescued, according to Fox-affiliated WVUE, citing the New Orleans mayor’s office. Port police, city firefighters, police officers, the U.S. Coast Guard and emergency are on the scene, where rescue operations were underway.

“Our immediate priority is the safety of all passengers, crew members and first responders. This remains an active and evolving incident,” according to the Port of New Orlean’s statement. The number of injuries and the cause haven’t yet been confirmed.

The American Cruise Lines website describes the American Heritage as a classic paddlewheeler river boat with capacity for as many as 180 passengers, which was last renovated in 2022.

“American Cruise Lines can confirm that our riverboat, American Heritage, was involved in a collision while it was docked in New Orleans,” the company said in a statement. “We are in close coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard and local authorities. Guests and crew were evacuated, and we are deeply concerned for everyone involved. We will share more information as it becomes available.”

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said he was heading to New Orleans.

“We are aware of the incident on the Mississippi and we are in close contact with local officials and law enforcement,” Landry said in a post on X. “I am headed to New Orleans now.”

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With assistance from Will Kubzansky.

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