Tanker Collides With Docked Passenger Ship on the Mississippi in New Orleans

The tanker Atlantic Asphalt collided with the American Heritage, a passenger ship docked on the Mississippi River in New Orleans, at about 12:30pm on November 13, 2026, according to The Guardian.

The American Heritage is a paddle-wheel ship about 300 feet long, built in 2015 and previously sailed as the Queen of the Mississippi. It was operated by American Cruise Lines, which said guests and crew were evacuated after the collision. The ship had docked at the Port of New Orleans about two hours earlier to begin letting passengers disembark. It had roughly 129 passengers on board, along with crew.

The office of New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said multiple people had been rescued. New Orleans firefighters, port and city police, the US Coast Guard and local emergency medical services personnel carried out rescue and response work at the scene. Kimberly Curth, press secretary for the Port of New Orleans, confirmed details of the collision.

The Coast Guard, the federal maritime service, closed the Mississippi River to all vessel traffic between mile markers 93 and 96 after the crash. The markers are numbered points along the river that track its length, and the closure covers that stretch of water.

Officials scheduled a news conference for 3pm Central Time on November 13 to provide updates on the crash.