- The boat had been docked for about two hours before the collision.
- It was finishing an eight-day cruise through Louisiana and Mississippi.
The Atlantic Asphalt tanker struck the docked American Heritage near New Orleans at about 12:30 p.m. on November 13, 2026, and the cruise boat capsized. Everyone aboard survived.
Officials said 32 people went to hospitals, none with critical injuries. The river was closed to vessel traffic in the incident area, while the Coast Guard worked toward reopening passages.
Port officials gave the approximate collision time. American Cruise Lines also confirmed its riverboat had been involved in a collision while docked.
The boat had been at the dock for about two hours and was completing an eight-day cruise through Louisiana and Mississippi. It began listing and taking on water within minutes of the impact.
Rescuers evacuated about 87 people before the boat tipped onto its side
First responders, tugboat operators, nearby workers and police helped evacuate people as the boat took on water. Officials said rescuers got approximately 87 people off before it rolled onto its side. Other people were pulled from the water onto nearby vessels.
Mayor Helena Moreno said no one was missing. She credited first responders who entered the water to help.
“We have zero people unaccounted for.”
The mayor estimated that between 180 and 190 people were aboard. Port officials separately described more than 130 people aboard, including about 129 passengers plus crew. The counts were given by different officials.
Two of those taken to hospital were police officers who had helped with the evacuation. None of the 32 people hospitalized had critical injuries.
American Cruise Lines said guests and crew had been evacuated and that it was arranging hotel accommodation for those aboard. The company said: “We are getting everyone who was aboard the ship settled into hotels and making sure they have everything they need.”
The Coast Guard cited an apparent steering problem as investigators began work
Capt. Melanie Burnham, commander of Coast Guard Sector New Orleans, said the tanker appeared to have experienced a steering problem. She cautioned that officials did not know the precise reason.
“There seems to be some type of a loss of steering.”
Burnham said a river pilot was driving the tanker. The U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board launched an investigation into the collision.
The investigation is examining the incident. Officials have not attributed the collision to a confirmed cause.
The Coast Guard closed the incident area and is working to reopen it
Authorities shut the river to vessel traffic in the collision area as rescue efforts proceeded. Burnham said the Coast Guard was working to reopen passages and that traffic would likely move one way at first.
“We're going to get the river opened as soon as possible so we can keep commerce flowing.”
The Coast Guard has not said when the Mississippi River will fully reopen. River users should watch for the Coast Guard’s reopening update.
