A cruise ship capsizes after being struck by a container ship: 32 passengers hospitalized
The American Heritage cruise ship was docked when it was struck by a container ship. 32 passengers were briefly hospitalized.
The cruise ship capsized after being struck. It was stabilized by a rescue boat.
A container ship collided with a cruise ship docked at a pier in the port of New Orleans on Friday around 12:30 p.m. local time, on the Mississippi River, the ship’s company announced.
The company chartering the pleasure craft, American Cruise Lines, confirmed in a statement on X that its ship, the “American Heritage,” was involved in a collision while docked in New Orleans. “We have no missing persons, which is a true miracle on the Mississippi. And that’s a testament to the work of all the first responders,” Mayor Helena Moreno said at a press conference late in the afternoon.
32 passengers hospitalized
She specified that 32 cruise ship passengers were in the hospital, “none with serious injuries.” Interviewed on local television station WDSU, Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser indicated that twelve people had been pulled from the water.
New orleans Port of Safety Director Melanie Montroll explained that the ship began taking on water and listing while being evacuated. Helena Moreno added that “between 180 and 190” people were on board.
When asked about the investigation, Coast Guard commander Melanie Burnham, from the New Orleans sector, stated that “it will take time. […] I will likely have internal information and good direction within a few days.” Navigation has been suspended on the Mississippi River in the area of the accident. “My intention is to reopen it as soon as possible. It will likely be one-way traffic” initially, Burnham added.
Donald Trump praises the work of first responders
- In the evening, US President Donald Trump also praised the “incredible rescue work of the first responders”: “Incredibly, nobody was killed in this major collision,” he reacted on his Truth Social platform.
“I pray for the success of the rescue mission being carried out by the dedicated first responders on the scene, near the port of New Orleans, and for the health and safety of all passengers involved,” Louisiana Representative Julia Letlow said.
