The river cruise paddle boat American Heritage is seen on its side after being struck by the tanker Atlantic Asphalt in the Mississippi River, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, in New Orleans.
Gérald Herbert/AP
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Gérald Herbert/AP
Port of New Orleans officials filed a trial against the owner and operator of the tanker that crashed Friday into a cruise ship docked in the Mississippi River.
The New Orleans Board of Port Commissioners is seeking at least $1 million in damages from people connected to the tanker, called Atlantic Asphalt. The lawsuit also names the tanker’s owner, Nave Shipping SA, and its management company Thome Ship Management as defendants.
The lawsuit says that at 12:30 a.m. Friday, the tanker Atlantic Asphalt crashed into the river cruise paddleboat American Heritage that was docked at the Thalia Street Terminal for passenger disembarkation.
There were nearly 200 people aboard the American Heritage at the time of the crash, which left the ship sideways and partially submerged. All passengers and crew members survived, with more than 100 rescued from the river, leading New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno to call the incident “a miracle on the Mississippi.”
Thirty-two people were taken to hospital, none of whom were seriously injured.
Port commissioners said that as a result of the collision, the Thalia Street terminal suffered significant damage.
“The extent of said damages is still under investigation, but physical damages are currently estimated to be in excess of $1 million, with other significant direct, indirect, and consequential damages expected,” the lawsuit states.
The suit also says the port expects to incur additional costs, including cleanup, investigation, repair, replacement and salvage costs.
On Friday, port officials requested that the tanker be seized and sold to cover the cost of the damage. A federal judge approved the seizure request.
Authorities said the collision occurred “as a result of negligence, gross negligence, misconduct or recklessness” by Atlantic Asphalt, Nave Shipping SA and Thome Ship Management.
The river cruise paddle boat American Heritage is seen on its side after being struck by the tanker Atlantic Asphalt in the Mississippi River, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, in New Orleans.
Gérald Herbert/AP
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Gérald Herbert/AP
Clean up the Mississippi
As of Saturday, eight people were still hospitalized, including two in serious condition.
Mayor Moreno said Saturday that Atlantic Asphalt had been towed away from the site, but noted it could take weeks to completely remove American Heritage.
Coast Guard Capt. Melanie Burnham said operations are now focused on fully reopening the river and safely removing hazardous materials aboard the American Heritage. Burnham said there is an estimated 160,000 gallons of fuel on board the ship.
“We’re going to have divers in the water so they can do a full assessment on the right path to take to be able to remove it,” Burnham said. “We also have teams that have been deployed throughout the area, the river system, to monitor the area for any pollution.”
Burnham said restrictions are in place for boat traffic along the Mississippi River.
The exact cause of the accident is unknown, although Burnham said the tanker appeared to have a steering problem. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident.
NTSB board member John DeLeeuw said during a briefing Saturday that the tanker’s voyage data recorder had been recovered.
“The voyage data recorder is basically going to provide the data,” DeLeeuw said. “It’s like a flight data recorder on an airplane. We can look at speeds and all kinds of information. It basically covers the speed of all kinds of maneuvers being done on the ship.”
A preliminary report from the NTSB is expected within 30 days, with the final report on probable causes and safety recommendations expected in 18 to 24 months.
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