After tanker crashed into cruise ship, New Orleans port sues for control on Mississippi River

Port seeks control of tanker

The vessel was towed from the crash site. It is 520 feet long and sails under the flag of the Marshall Islands. The lawsuit names Nave Shipping SA, registered in Monrovia, Liberia, as a defendant. Nave Shipping is a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, according to MarineTraffic.

Passengers and crew rescued

All 197 people aboard the American Heritage and the tanker’s crew survived Friday’s crash. Officials said 32 people went to the hospital, including two police officers thrown into the river; none had critical injuries, and eight people remained hospitalized Saturday.

The tanker sounded its horn as it approached, passenger Joe Knab told WDSU-TV. After impact, the cruise ship leaned, then rolled, sending Knab and about 100 others into the 66-degree Fahrenheit (19-degree Celsius) water. Tugboat operators, cruise ship captains, workers, police and other rescuers responded.

New Orleans Harbor Police Chief Melanie Montroll said passengers’ life vests likely helped save lives. Knab said he was in the water for about 15 minutes and credited his 20 years in the Navy with helping him.

Investigation and river traffic

The cruise ship remains on its side against a river terminal, and moving it could take weeks, Burnham said Saturday. Crews must first safely remove its 16,000 gallons (60,500 liters) of fuel.

Traffic on the Mississippi River has been limited, though Burnham said vessels should soon be able to travel both upstream and downstream. The American Heritage was completing an eight-day cruise to destinations along the river.