Tanker Slams Docked Cruise Ship in New Orleans; All Aboard Survive

A tanker struck a docked river cruise ship on the Mississippi River in New Orleans on Friday, throwing passengers into the water and leaving the cruise ship capsized at the dock, according to the Port of New Orleans and local officials. Every passenger was accounted for and no one was killed, New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said, according to the BBC.

“Incredibly, nobody was killed by this major collision,” President Trump said, thanking the U.S. Coast Guard and Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry for their response, according to a post from Fox News on X.

NEW: President Trump thanks the U.S. Coast Guard and Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry for their swift response after a tanker collided with a docked cruise ship in New Orleans.

“Incredibly, nobody was killed by this major collision.”

Officials estimate between 180 and 190 people were… pic.twitter.com/Rcp44MOI79

— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 14, 2026

What happened

The Marshall Islands-flagged asphalt tanker Atlantic Asphalt hit the U.S.-flagged American Heritage, an American Cruise Lines paddlewheel riverboat, at about 12:30 p.m. local time below the Crescent City Connection bridge, according to the Port of New Orleans as reported by maritime outlet gCaptain.

Video of the crash shows the tanker striking the port side of the docked cruise boat, gCaptain reported. The American Heritage took on water, rolled over and capsized alongside the dock, according to the outlet.

Port NOLA said about 129 passengers, plus crew members, were aboard at the time, according to gCaptain. Officials estimate between 180 and 190 people were aboard the cruise ship in all, Fox News reported on X.

Rescue on the river

Moreno said 32 people were taken to hospitals and none had critical injuries, according to the BBC. The Washington Post reported that those hospitalized included at least two law enforcement officers who had been trying to evacuate passengers as the ship went over.

Harbor Police Chief Melanie Montroll said emergency crews got 87 people off the boat while it was still afloat, and that tugboats, a police boat and a firefighting vessel helped pull others from the river, according to the BBC. Authorities said there were no children on board and that most passengers appeared to be tourists, the BBC reported.

CBS News reported in a post on X that Port NOLA said its harbor police, the New Orleans Fire Department, the New Orleans Police Department and the U.S. Coast Guard all responded, and that Moreno said private vessels already on the river joined the rescue.

“It is a literal miracle on the Mississippi,” Landry told reporters, according to The Washington Post.

Cause under investigation

A U.S. Coast Guard official said at a Friday press conference that an unspecified steering issue was involved, according to The Times-Picayune | The Advocate. The mayor said a loss of steering appeared to be involved, according to the BBC. Officials have not released a final cause.

The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a “go team” to investigate, according to gCaptain. The Coast Guard closed the river to all vessel traffic between mile markers 93 and 96 while crews responded, gCaptain reported, and a Coast Guard captain said the waterway would likely reopen first to one-way traffic, according to the BBC.

American Cruise Lines said in a statement that guests and crew had been evacuated and that it was working closely with the Coast Guard and local authorities, according to gCaptain.

Reporting by Daily Beltway.