Steering issue caused tanker to crash into cruise boat, U.S. officials say

Detailed summary

The asphalt tanker vessel that struck a docked paddlewheel cruise boat in the Mississippi River at ‌New Orleans on Friday experienced a steering problem in which its rudder was…

The asphalt tanker vessel that struck a docked paddlewheel cruise boat in the Mississippi River at ‌New Orleans on Friday experienced a steering problem in which its rudder was stuck in one position, U.S. transportation safety officials ​said on Sunday.

The American Cruise Lines ​passenger vessel American Heritage, with 190 people aboard, capsized at the dock, but 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, U.S. 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.

Harbour personnel, ​firefighters and ⁠onlookers scrambled to pull passengers from the cruise vessel to safety after the collision. The cruise vessel toppled over into the river.

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