About 100 people were pulled from the Mississippi River after a tanker slammed into a docked cruise ship in New Orleans on Friday, officials said Saturday. The U.S. Coast Guard is now preparing for a salvage operation that could take several weeks to remove the overturned vessel.
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said 191 passengers and crew members were aboard the American Heritage when the Atlantic Asphalt tanker struck the riverboat near the Port of New Orleans.
All those aboard survived, although eight people were still hospitalized Saturday. Two remained in serious condition, while the other six were listed as stable, officials said.
Coast Guard Capt. Melanie Burnham said crews plan to pump approximately 16,000 gallons of fuel from the American Heritage before beginning salvage work. Divers were expected to inspect the vessel, and pollution-response teams continued checking the river for possible leaks.
Tugboats surround the Atlantic Asphalt tanker in New Orleans after it collided with the docked American Heritage river cruiser on Nov. 13, 2026. (Kat Ramirez for News Media)
Burnham said crews had not detected any product in the river that needed to be removed, but cautioned that hazardous material could be released during the recovery operation.
“As the mayor said, we’re talking weeks, we’re not talking days, we’re talking weeks. So we’re going to do this safely and we’re going to make sure that 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, making him the final person to leave the vessel.
“Every moment of the critical time [Friday], he did not want to leave his ship,” Moreno said.
Map showing the collision near the Port of New Orleans (Fox News)
According to the mayor, the captain initially declined medical care because he first wanted to confirm that everyone aboard was safe.
Port of New Orleans Harbor Police Chief Melanie Montro said emergency responders evacuated more than 80 people before the cruise vessel rolled over. About 100 others entered the river.
Montro estimated that the American Heritage capsized 30 to 45 minutes after the collision, although investigators have not established the precise sequence of events.
Officials said the widespread use of life jackets, along with the quick actions of emergency responders and nearby vessels, helped avert any deaths.
Investigators are looking into a possible steering problem involving the tanker, but the cause of the crash has not been determined.
“I can say though I do not have any indication that this is terrorism related in any way, shape or form, but again, the investigators will continue to keep working through that,” Burnham said.
The National Transportation Safety Board began sending investigators to the scene Saturday after travel problems delayed the agency’s arrival.
The crash happened at about 12:30 p.m. local time Friday, when the tanker hit the American Heritage, which had been tied up for roughly two hours. The cruise vessel began taking on water and later capsized.
The Atlantic Asphalt has been relocated from the crash site, and the Coast Guard has reopened part of the river to two-way traffic. A 500-foot safety zone continues to surround the wreckage.
American Cruise Lines, operator of the American Heritage, is working with local officials to support passengers who were displaced while investigators and salvage crews continue their work.