About 100 people were rescued from the Mississippi River after a tanker collided with a docked cruise ship in New Orleans on Friday, officials said Saturday. The U.S. Coast Guard is 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 ship near the Port of New Orleans.
All of those aboard survived. Eight people were still hospitalized Saturday, including two listed in serious condition. The remaining six patients were reported to be stable.
Coast Guard Capt. Melanie Burnham said crews planned to remove 16,000 gallons of fuel from the American Heritage before salvage work begins. Divers were expected to inspect the vessel, while pollution-response teams watched 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 Outlet)
Burnham said crews had not detected any product in the river that needed to be removed, but cautioned that hazardous materials could be released during the salvage 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 all passengers and crew members had been accounted for, making him the last person to leave the ship.
“Every moment of the critical time [Friday], he did not want to leave his ship,” Moreno said.
Map showing the collision at the Port of New Orleans (Fox News)
According to the mayor, the captain initially declined medical treatment until he knew the whereabouts of everyone aboard.
Port of New Orleans Harbor Police Chief Melanie Montro said emergency responders evacuated more than 80 people before the vessel overturned, while about 100 people fell or were forced into the river.
Montro estimated that the American Heritage capsized 30 to 45 minutes after the collision, although investigators have not established the precise timeline.
Officials said life jackets, along with the quick response from emergency personnel and nearby vessels, helped prevent any deaths.
Investigators are looking into a possible steering problem involving the tanker, but the cause of the collision 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 arriving Saturday after travel disruptions delayed the agency’s response.
The collision happened at about 12:30 p.m. local time Friday, when the tanker hit the American Heritage, which had been docked for roughly two hours. The cruise ship began taking on water and later overturned.
The Atlantic Asphalt has been moved away from the crash site, and the Coast Guard has partially restored two-way traffic on the river. A 500-foot safety zone remains around the wreckage.
American Cruise Lines, the operator of the American Heritage, is working with local officials to help passengers who were displaced as investigators continue examining the collision and crews carry out recovery efforts.
