All 180 people aboard were rescued after the vessel capsized in the Mississippi River, with 32 hospitalized.

An asphalt tanker rammed a docked cruise ship in New Orleans, Louisiana on Friday, causing it to capsize and sending passengers into the Mississippi River.

Videos from the scene show the much larger Atlantic Asphalt tanker striking the American Heritage cruise ship directly in the side.

American Cruise Lines

The vessel, operated by American Cruise Lines, was carrying 180 passengers and crew members at the time of the collision. The cruise ship rolled onto its side and partially sank as tugboat operators, police, and other rescuers rushed to help.

32 people were hospitalized

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno confirmed that everyone aboard was rescued. She added that 32 people were hospitalized, none with critical injuries.

‘It is a literal miracle on the Mississippi,’ Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry told reporters. ‘When you think about the population that was on that cruise ship, and the ability for us to get them off, get them out of the water.

Investigation

The cause of the collision remains under investigation. Initial reports suggest that the tanker may have lost steering before

The American Heritage is a 90-meter-long paddle-wheeler built in 2015. It was completing an eight-day Mississippi River cruise when it was struck. The 160-meter-long, Marshall Islands-flagged Atlantic Asphalt was built in China in 2017.

Germany too

Meanwhile, a cruise liner has collided with a container ship while departing Bremerhaven in northwestern Germany for a voyage to the Canary Islands.

The incident involving the Mein Schiff 3 occurred on Sunday in poor weather brought by storm Manja.

Strong crosswinds appeared to overpower the tugboats assisting the 293-meter vessel down the Weser River. The collision was filmed from aboard the liner.

2,428 guests and 922 crew members

Hamburg-based operator TUI Cruises reported no injuries among the 2,428 guests and 922 crew members aboard the ship. The vessel was brought back to the pier for a damage assessment.

Media reports and footage indicate that at least three lifeboats were seriously damaged, potentially disrupting the voyage unless they can be replaced promptly.

The Mein Schiff 3 was beginning a 20-day ‘Timeless Canary Islands’ cruise, with its first stop scheduled for October 28 in the Spanish port of A Coruna.

The MSC Victorine, which the liner struck, also postponed its departure for Hamburg following the collision.

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Author Michael Walsh, then a British seaman, was on the wheel of the Enugu Palm. Under the control of a seriously drunk pilot, the ocean-going vessel was on a death-defying collision course with berthed vessels.

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