Capsized Cruise Ship on the Mississippi Will Take Weeks to Remove, Officials Say, as Nearly 100 People Were Pulled From the River

Roughly 100 people were pulled from the Mississippi River after a tanker struck the docked cruise ship American Heritage in New Orleans on Friday, officials revealed on Saturday. The U.S. Coast Guard is preparing for a salvage operation that could take weeks to remove the capsized vessel.

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said 191 passengers and crew members were aboard the American Heritage when the Atlantic Asphalt tanker struck the vessel near the Port of New Orleans. Everyone survived.

Eight people remained hospitalized on Saturday, including two in serious condition. The other six patients were stable, officials said.

Port of New Orleans Harbor Police Chief Melanie Montro said responders evacuated more than 80 people before the vessel overturned, while roughly 100 people ended up in the river. She estimated the American Heritage capsized within 30 to 45 minutes of the collision, though the exact timeline remains under investigation.

Moreno said the ship's captain was injured but remained aboard until passengers and crew were accounted for, becoming the last person to leave the vessel. "Every moment of the critical time, he did not want to leave his ship," Moreno said. The captain initially refused medical treatment until he knew where everyone was.

Coast Guard Capt. Melanie Burnham said crews were preparing to remove 16,000 gallons of fuel from the American Heritage before salvage operations begin. Divers were expected to assess the vessel, while pollution response teams monitored the river for potential leaks.

Burnham said crews had not observed any product in the river requiring removal, but warned hazardous materials could potentially escape during the operation. "As the mayor said, we're talking weeks, we're not talking days, we're talking weeks. So we're going to do this safely and we're going to make sure that it's done right," Burnham said.

Officials credited life jackets and the rapid response of emergency crews and nearby vessels with preventing fatalities. Investigators are examining a possible steering issue involving the tanker, though the exact cause of the collision remains unknown.

"I can say though I do not have any indication that this is terrorism related in any way, shape or form, but again, the investigators will continue to keep working through that," Burnham said. The National Transportation Safety Board began arriving on Saturday after travel disruptions delayed its response.

The collision occurred around 12:30 p.m. local time on Friday, when the tanker struck the American Heritage, which had been docked for approximately two hours. The vessel began taking on water before capsizing.

The Atlantic Asphalt has since been moved from the collision site, and the Coast Guard has partially reopened the river to two-way traffic. A 500-foot safety zone remains in place around the wreck.

American Cruise Lines, which operates the American Heritage, is coordinating with local officials to assist displaced passengers as the investigation and recovery efforts continue.