New Orleans port sues tanker owned by Chinese subsidiary over cruise ship collision

The Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans filed a federal lawsuit in the Eastern District of Louisiana against the asphalt tanker that crashed into a docked river cruise boat on the Mississippi River.

The incident occurred on Friday when the tanker Atlantic Asphalt struck the paddlewheel river cruise ship American Heritage. According to court documents, the crash caused significant damage to the port's Thalia Street Terminal. The lawsuit alleges that the collision resulted from negligence, gross negligence, fault, or carelessness, and claims the tanker and its operators failed to use all available means to avoid the risk of colliding with the vessel.

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The legal action names the tanker, its owner Nave Shipping SA, and its management company, Thome Ship Management Pte Ltd, as defendants. The port seeks financial compensation to cover cleanup, inspections, repairs, and other expenses, and has requested that the vessel be seized and sold. A judge issued a warrant giving federal officials control of the ship.

The Atlantic Asphalt is a vessel sailing under a flag for the Marshall Islands and is owned by Nave Shipping SA, a company registered in Monrovia, Liberia. According to live shipping tracker data, Nave Shipping is a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, a Chinese state-owned conglomerate. China State Shipbuilding Corporation did not respond to emailed requests for comment. Thome Ship Management stated that the crew of the Atlantic Asphalt were safe and accounted for, adding that the company is fully complying with the local authorities as they carry out the necessary investigations.

Passengers were disembarking from the American Heritage when the tanker slammed into the boat. The crash caused the riverboat to begin tilting within minutes before rolling onto its side against the terminal. Estimates of the number of people aboard at the time varied across reports, with figures citing passengers and crew members.

All passengers and crew survived the incident. Thirty-two people were brought to hospitals with non-critical injuries, including two police officers thrown into the river when the boat rolled. Eight people remained hospitalized the following day. Tugboat operators, other cruise ship captains, nearby workers, police, and various rescuers rushed to the scene to assist in pulling people from the muddy water.

Passenger Joe Knab recalled that the first warning was the tanker blasting its horn several times as it drifted toward them. The crew gathered passengers on the third deck to put on life vests before the ship suddenly rolled.

"The hit was hard, and the ship immediately started leaning,"

Joe Knab, Passenger, via WDSU-TV

Knab and about 100 other passengers and crew were plunged into the water. He estimated he remained in the river for about 15 minutes before being rescued.

"It's fine now, but it was a little scary there at the time. I thought I was drowning because I kept bobbing underneath — and the water doesn't taste very good,"

Joe Knab, Passenger, via WDSU-TV

New Orleans Harbor Police Chief Melanie Montroll credited the swift action of putting life vests on passengers with preventing fatalities.

"Whether it's 10 feet of water or 200 feet, having those vests, having that population put those vests on and kind of float upriver while we retrieve them — I think was the best factor of success,"

Melanie Montroll, New Orleans Harbor Police Chief, via Associated Press

The American Heritage had been concluding an eight-day cruise visiting destinations in Mississippi River destinations. American Cruise Lines stated it is placing everyone from the ship into local hotels and ensuring their immediate needs are addressed.

The exact cause of the collision remains under investigation. Coast Guard Capt. Melanie Burnham told reporters that the tanker appeared to lose steering.

The National Transportation Safety Board dispatched a 16-member team to New Orleans to investigate the crash and recovered the tanker's voyage data recorder. NTSB member John DeLeeuw stated that a preliminary report is expected within 24 to 30 days, while the final investigation report will take 18 to 24 months to complete.

While the Atlantic Asphalt has been towed away from the site, the American Heritage remains on its side against the terminal. Burnham stated that moving the cruise ship could take weeks, as the immediate priority involves safely removing the 16,000 gallons of fuel aboard the vessel. River traffic on the Mississippi was limited following the crash, though officials indicated boats would soon be permitted to resume moving upstream and downstream.

What to watch next

• Federal court proceedings regarding the Port of New Orleans' lawsuit and the potential seizure and sale of the Atlantic Asphalt.
• The NTSB preliminary report, expected within 24 to 30 days.
• Fuel removal operations from the American Heritage, anticipated to take weeks before the vessel can be righted and moved.
• Any formal response from the China State Shipbuilding Corporation regarding its subsidiary's involvement in the collision.
• The release of the final NTSB investigation report, scheduled within 18 to 24 months.