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New Orleans Port Sues to Control Tanker That Struck Cruise Ship

The Port of New Orleans sued the owner of the Atlantic Asphalt tanker after it struck the docked American Heritage cruise ship on the Mississippi River. All 197 passengers and crew survived, and 32 people were hospitalized.

By Hermes Vector

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Illustration for: New Orleans Port Sues to Control Tanker That Struck Cruise Ship

In brief

  • The Port of New Orleans sued the owner of the Atlantic Asphalt tanker after it struck the docked American Heritage cruise ship on the Mississippi River.
  • All 197 passengers and crew on the cruise ship survived, and 32 people were hospitalized with no critical injuries.
  • A judge issued a warrant giving federal officials control of the tanker, which caused at least $1 million in damage to the terminal.
  • The tanker is owned by Nave Shipping SA, a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, according to MarineTraffic.

New Orleans Port Sues to Control Tanker That Struck Cruise Ship

The Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans has sued the owner of the Atlantic Asphalt tanker after the vessel lost steering and struck the docked American Heritage river cruise ship on the Mississippi River on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026.

All 197 passengers and crew on the American Heritage survived, as did the crew on the tanker. Officials said 32 people were brought to the hospital, including two police officers thrown into the Mississippi River when the boat rolled. None of the injuries were critical, and eight people remained hospitalized Saturday.

Lawsuit and vessel control

The lawsuit said the Atlantic Asphalt tanker caused at least $1 million in damage to the port's terminal. A judge issued a warrant Friday giving federal officials control of the ship for now.

The tanker has been towed away from the site, but it could take weeks to move the cruise ship, which remains turned on its side against a terminal in the Mississippi River, Coast Guard Capt. Melanie Burnham told reporters Saturday. The first step is to make sure the 16,000 gallons (60,500 liters) of fuel on the boat are removed safely, she said.

Traffic has been limited on the Mississippi River, but Burnham said boats should be able to move both upstream and downstream soon. The tanker appeared to lose steering, but the exact cause of the crash is not known, Burnham said. The National Transportation Safety Board was sending investigators to New Orleans.

Survivor account

Passenger Joe Knab told WDSU-TV that the first warning was the tanker blasting its horn several times as it floated toward the cruise ship. The hit was hard, and the ship immediately started leaning. The crew gathered everyone on the third deck to put on life vests, but the boat suddenly rolled and sent Knab and about 100 other passengers and crew into the muddy Mississippi River, where the water was 66-degree Fahrenheit (19 degrees Celsius).

"It’s fine now, but it was a little scary there at the time. I thought I was drowning because I kept bobbing underneath — and the water doesn’t taste very good," Knab told the television station.

Knab said he thinks he was in the water about 15 minutes. He said his 20 years in the Navy likely helped him.

Putting the life vests on the passengers as they waited to get off the boat likely saved a number of lives when the boat suddenly turned into the water, New Orleans Harbor Police Chief Melanie Montroll said.

"Whether it’s 10 feet of water or 200 feet, having those vests, having that population put those vests on and kind of float upriver while we retrieve them — I think was the best factor of success," Montroll said.

Tanker ownership

The Atlantic Asphalt is a 520-foot-long (160-meter-long) vessel sailing under a flag for the Marshall Islands. The ship is owned by Nave Shipping SA, which is registered in Monrovia, Liberia, according to the International Maritime Organization. Nave Shipping is a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, according to MarineTraffic. China State Shipbuilding Corp. didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment.

The tanker specializes in carrying large quantities of asphalt and bitumen, according to MarineTraffic.

Sources

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.

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