Tanker Collides with Tourist Boat Carrying 129 Passengers on the Mississippi River in New Orleans

The bitumen tanker Atlantic Asphalt collided with the river cruise boat American Heritage on the Mississippi River in New Orleans on Friday at about 12:30 local time (18:30 GMT), resulting in the partial sinking of the vessel and a wide-scale mobilization of rescue teams.

The Port of New Orleans announced the incident, noting that the American Heritage had docked about two hours earlier to disembark its passengers. The vessel was completing an eight-day voyage to destinations in the states of Louisiana and Mississippi; it has a capacity of 150 passengers, is five stories tall, and was built in 2015.

A spokesperson for the city of New Orleans confirmed that "several individuals were rescued and search and rescue operations are still ongoing." Reports indicated that more than twelve people wearing life jackets were pulled from the water, which has a temperature of 19 degrees Celsius.

Authorities have so far released no information regarding injuries or deaths. American Cruise Lines, the company operating the vessel, said that guests and crew members had been evacuated, expressing "deep concern for all those involved."

The tanker is 160 meters long, flies the flag of the Marshall Islands, and was en route to New Orleans according to MarineTraffic. It specialized in transporting asphalt and bitumen. The river has been closed to navigation, while rescue operations are being managed by the Harbor Police, the Fire Department, the Coast Guard, and emergency medical teams.