Latest. A federal judge has authorised the arrest of the Atlantic Asphalt, Splash247 reported on Saturday evening. The judge issued a warrant directing US marshals to take possession of the tanker and hold it subject to further court orders, after the Port of New Orleans sued in the Eastern District of Louisiana seeking more than $1 million, with physical damage to its Thalia Street Terminal currently estimated to exceed $1 million and further claims expected for cleanup, surveys, repairs and salvage. The manager, OSM Thome, confirmed it manages the tanker and said the vessel was stable at anchor.
Latest. The Port of New Orleans has sued over the collision. In a suit filed in federal court on Friday, the port named the Atlantic Asphalt itself, its owner Nave Shipping SA and its management company Thome Ship Management Pte Ltd, seeking more than $1 million for cleanup, inspections, repairs and other expenses, and asked that the tanker be seized and sold to pay for the damage to its terminal. The suit alleges negligence by the ship and the operating companies. Coast Guard Captain Melanie Burnham said there seemed to have been some type of a loss of steering, with the exact cause still under investigation, and the manager said on Saturday that the tanker’s crew were safe and accounted for and that it was fully complying with the local authorities.
Latest. New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said on Friday evening that all 129 passengers aboard the American Heritage were accounted for and that 32 were in local hospitals, none with critical injuries, and no deaths were reported. Moreno said the Atlantic Asphalt tanker lost control before it collided with the cruise ship; passengers were disembarking when the boat began to sink, then toppled over and flipped, sending people into the water, and more than a dozen people in life jackets were pulled from the river onto nearby ships.
The tanker Atlantic Asphalt struck the American Heritage, an American Cruise Lines riverboat docked at the Port of New Orleans, at about 12:30 p.m. local time on Friday, the port said. The riverboat, which had docked about two hours earlier to begin disembarking and carried about 129 passengers plus crew, was left on its side and taking on water, and firefighters confirmed multiple people had been rescued from the river while search and rescue operations continued.
American Cruise Lines said guests and crew were evacuated and that it was coordinating with the Coast Guard and local authorities. The Coast Guard closed the Mississippi River to all vessel traffic between mile markers 93 and 96, covering the crash area, while responders assessed the situation; no confirmed count of injuries or deaths had been reported.