NEW ORLEANS — A boat with nearly 200 people aboard was struck by a tanker on the Mississippi River on Friday afternoon, leaving it partially submerged.

Port NOLA Harbor Police, the New Orleans Fire Department, the New Orleans Police Department, the U.S. Coast Guard and emergency medical personnel responded and began conducting rescue and response operations.

Passengers aboard the cruise vessel were being brought inside the Port of New Orleans Administration Building for assistance.

The crash happened around 12:30 pm on the river near the Crescent City Connection when the Atlantic Asphalt tanker collided with The American Heritage as passengers were disembarking. 

14 people were rescued by the Creole Queen, according to WWL. 

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said everyone involved in the crash was accounted for at a press conference on Friday afternoon. 

"Right now we have 32 passengers from the cruise ship that are in our local hospitals. None with any critical injury," Moreno said.

Mayor Moreno said that as passengers were disembarking from the vessel, the ship began to sink before flipping, leading to people being rescued from the Mississippi River. 

Harbor police were the first to respond by entering the water to pull people out as New Orleans firefighters used ladders over the dock to pull people up. Other ships on the river also had volunteers help rescue passengers. 

Chief of Harbor Police Melanie Montrell said that two officers who were in the water are currently at the hospital. 

"Our focus here for the Coast Guard will now switch to opening the river, because I did shut down that immediately as soon as we heard about the incident," said Captain Melanie Burnham with the U.S. Coast Guard.

She said that the Coast Guard immediately mobilized with boats and helicopters to help in search and rescue operations. 

Gov. Jeff Landry joined the press conference, saying, "Our Mississippi River in Louisiana has operated with impeccable safety for a very long time. We are going to get down to the bottom of exactly what happened here and make sure that we make any adjustments necessary so that the people that travel on the waterways here can know that they can do so in safety."

The temperature in the water at the time of the crash was reportedly 66 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a report by the Associated Press. AP reported that the five-story cruise ship was built in 2015 by American Cruise Lines. It was finishing an eight-day cruise to several Mississippi River destinations in both Louisiana and Mississippi. 

The tanker involved in the crash was specialized in carrying asphalt and bitumen, a substance used in road construction and roofing, according to Marine Traffic. The 520-foot vessel had a final destination in New Orleans. 

American Cruise Lines released the following statement:

American Cruise Lines can confirm that our riverboat, American Heritage was involved in a collision while it was docked in New Orleans. We are in close coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard and local authorities. Guests and crew were evacuated, and we are deeply concerned for everyone involved. We will share more information as it becomes available.

The investigation into the incident remains ongoing. The Coast Guard is currently evaluating how they will reopen the waterway as well as working with salvage assistance teams to figure out how to salvage the boat. 

@LAGovJeffLandry Wild. Heard all the sirens and the chopper circling and knew something was up. https://t.co/iiEBnhDWoh

— NOLA Street Swimming Club (@HurricanesBlow) November 13, 2026

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?? OFFICIAL UPDATE: New Orleans Mayor confirms multiple individuals have been rescued following the collision between a cargo ship and a riverboat cruise ship near the Port of New Orleans. Search-and-rescue operations remain ongoing as public safety agencies coordinate response efforts. Ship Crash - Mississippi River - American Heritage - Atlantic Asphalt - Port NOLA

— GeoTechWar (@geotechwar) November 13, 2026