SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
First responders work at the scene of the capsized riverboat American Heritage after it was hit by the tanker Atlantic Asphalt on the Mississippi River near the Port of New Orleans on November 13, 2026 in New Orleans.
(Photo by Michael DeMocker/Getty Images)
'Miracle on the Mississippi': All Accounted for After Tanker Hits New Orleans Riverboat With 120+ Aboard
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno credited first responders, who she said "literally jumped right in to help," with saving victims' lives.
Nov 13, 2026
A large asphalt tanker struck a river cruise boat in New Orleans on Friday afternoon, causing the paddleboat carrying more than 120 passengers and crew to capsize and partially submerge in the Mississippi River.
Thirty-two people were injured and taken to local hospitals after the 520-foot asphalt and bitumen tanker Atlantic Asphalt lost control and perpendicularly struck the American Heritage, a docked paddlewheel riverboat operated by American Cruise Lines, at approximately 12:30 pm local time, according to Nola.com.
The cruise vessel was in the process of disembarking passengers when it was hit. Video posted on social media showed passengers swimming away from the listing boat.
One witness, Jamie Holford, told WDSU that the American Heritage took approximately 15 minutes to overturn after the initial impact.
Holford described the scene as "surreal."
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno, a Democrat, said the tanker had apparently lost control before striking the riverboat, sending passengers and crew members into the Mississippi River.
"At this moment, the information that we have, we have zero people unaccounted for, which truly is a miracle on the Mississippi," Moreno said at a news conference. She credited local, state, and federal emergency personnel who "literally jumped right in to help."
The injuries suffered by the 32 passengers were described by officials as noncritical. Two New Orleans Harbor Police officers were also hospitalized after helping with rescue efforts.
The US Coast Guard temporarily closed a three-mile stretch of the Mississippi River to commercial and recreational vessel traffic while emergency crews conducted rescue operations and assessed the damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it would dispatch an investigative team to New Orleans on Saturday to determine the circumstances surrounding the crash.
The incident raised questions about maritime safety along one of the nation's busiest commercial waterways.
Maritime law expert Martin Davies of Tulane University told WVUE that the tanker could have caused an even greater catastrophe had it struck the nearby Crescent City Connection bridge, which carries an estimated 160,000 vehicles daily.
In March 2024, the Maersk-chartered Dali, a Singapore-flagged container ship with a history of problems, lost power and steering before crashing into a support pier of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, triggering a catastrophic collapse. Six highway maintenance workers were killed and a seventh was seriously injured.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
A large asphalt tanker struck a river cruise boat in New Orleans on Friday afternoon, causing the paddleboat carrying more than 120 passengers and crew to capsize and partially submerge in the Mississippi River.
Thirty-two people were injured and taken to local hospitals after the 520-foot asphalt and bitumen tanker Atlantic Asphalt lost control and perpendicularly struck the American Heritage, a docked paddlewheel riverboat operated by American Cruise Lines, at approximately 12:30 pm local time, according to Nola.com.
The cruise vessel was in the process of disembarking passengers when it was hit. Video posted on social media showed passengers swimming away from the listing boat.
One witness, Jamie Holford, told WDSU that the American Heritage took approximately 15 minutes to overturn after the initial impact.
Holford described the scene as "surreal."
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno, a Democrat, said the tanker had apparently lost control before striking the riverboat, sending passengers and crew members into the Mississippi River.
"At this moment, the information that we have, we have zero people unaccounted for, which truly is a miracle on the Mississippi," Moreno said at a news conference. She credited local, state, and federal emergency personnel who "literally jumped right in to help."
The injuries suffered by the 32 passengers were described by officials as noncritical. Two New Orleans Harbor Police officers were also hospitalized after helping with rescue efforts.
The US Coast Guard temporarily closed a three-mile stretch of the Mississippi River to commercial and recreational vessel traffic while emergency crews conducted rescue operations and assessed the damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it would dispatch an investigative team to New Orleans on Saturday to determine the circumstances surrounding the crash.
The incident raised questions about maritime safety along one of the nation's busiest commercial waterways.
Maritime law expert Martin Davies of Tulane University told WVUE that the tanker could have caused an even greater catastrophe had it struck the nearby Crescent City Connection bridge, which carries an estimated 160,000 vehicles daily.
In March 2024, the Maersk-chartered Dali, a Singapore-flagged container ship with a history of problems, lost power and steering before crashing into a support pier of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, triggering a catastrophic collapse. Six highway maintenance workers were killed and a seventh was seriously injured.
A large asphalt tanker struck a river cruise boat in New Orleans on Friday afternoon, causing the paddleboat carrying more than 120 passengers and crew to capsize and partially submerge in the Mississippi River.
Thirty-two people were injured and taken to local hospitals after the 520-foot asphalt and bitumen tanker Atlantic Asphalt lost control and perpendicularly struck the American Heritage, a docked paddlewheel riverboat operated by American Cruise Lines, at approximately 12:30 pm local time, according to Nola.com.
The cruise vessel was in the process of disembarking passengers when it was hit. Video posted on social media showed passengers swimming away from the listing boat.
One witness, Jamie Holford, told WDSU that the American Heritage took approximately 15 minutes to overturn after the initial impact.
Holford described the scene as "surreal."
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno, a Democrat, said the tanker had apparently lost control before striking the riverboat, sending passengers and crew members into the Mississippi River.
"At this moment, the information that we have, we have zero people unaccounted for, which truly is a miracle on the Mississippi," Moreno said at a news conference. She credited local, state, and federal emergency personnel who "literally jumped right in to help."
The injuries suffered by the 32 passengers were described by officials as noncritical. Two New Orleans Harbor Police officers were also hospitalized after helping with rescue efforts.
The US Coast Guard temporarily closed a three-mile stretch of the Mississippi River to commercial and recreational vessel traffic while emergency crews conducted rescue operations and assessed the damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it would dispatch an investigative team to New Orleans on Saturday to determine the circumstances surrounding the crash.
The incident raised questions about maritime safety along one of the nation's busiest commercial waterways.
Maritime law expert Martin Davies of Tulane University told WVUE that the tanker could have caused an even greater catastrophe had it struck the nearby Crescent City Connection bridge, which carries an estimated 160,000 vehicles daily.
In March 2024, the Maersk-chartered Dali, a Singapore-flagged container ship with a history of problems, lost power and steering before crashing into a support pier of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, triggering a catastrophic collapse. Six highway maintenance workers were killed and a seventh was seriously injured.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy