Harbor personnel, firefighters, and civilian onlookers coordinated an emergency effort to pull 190 passengers and crew from the river after the American Heritage toppled over. National Transportation Safety Board officials have not yet identified what triggered the mechanical breakdown aboard the Atlantic Asphalt, but they have recovered the tanker's voyage-data recorder. The inquiry will also scrutinize anchor deployment procedures during the emergency response. Investigators will conduct extensive interviews with passengers and both crews over the coming week.
Key points
No fatalities occurred despite the paddlewheel cruise boat capsizing entirely into the Mi…: No fatalities occurred despite the paddlewheel cruise boat capsizing entirely into the Mississippi River.
Safety investigators will examine whether the tanker attempted to deploy its anchors to h…: Safety investigators will examine whether the tanker attempted to deploy its anchors to halt the collision.
The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting interviews with passengers and the…: The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting interviews with passengers and the crews of both vessels.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
The asphalt tanker vessel that struck a docked paddlewheel cruise boat in the Mississippi River at New Orleans last week experienced a steering problem in which its rudder was stuck in one position, United States transportation safety officials said on Sunday (Nov 15).
The American Cruise Lines passenger vessel American Heritage, with 190 people aboard, capsized at the dock, though no one was killed in the collision.
The Atlantic Asphalt tanker was headed upriver when it experienced a "steering casualty" in which its rudder stayed in a starboard position and the vessel veered toward the river's east bank, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) senior marine accident investigator Bart Barnum told a news conference in New Orleans.
NTSB officials said they do not know what caused the steering problem. The tanker's voyage-data recorder was recovered on Saturday.
Issues under investigation include whether the tanker's anchors were deployed and, if so, at what depth, as well as interviews with crew members and passengers, officials said. Interviews with the crew of the Atlantic Asphalt are scheduled over the next week, they said.
A dramatic 3-2 victory in Madrid secured top spot in UEFA Nations League Group A3 for the visitors on goal difference. The result snapped the reigning world champions' undefeated streak dating back to March 2024 while setting an English national record with a 10th consecutive away win. Both sides now advance to the tournament quarterfinals scheduled for next March.
A relocating fellow en route to California encountered a massive swarm of katydids carpeting Utah's Highway 12, causing the road to become slick and the vehicle to shake. During the cross-country drive, the traveler engaged with linguistic theories exploring how metaphorical framing shapes political discourse and societal debate. The journey culminated in a new-media position at a progressive think tank based near the Berkeley campus.
Appellate judges evaluated the distinct living situations of siblings placed in separate homes following their birth-related entries into state custody. Because the older child resides stably with a maternal relative who is not seeking adoption, the state could not justify permanently severing the maternal relationship. Conversely, the younger child will remain cleared for adoption by foster caregivers who have provided primary infancy care.