Steering problem on tanker in New Orleans caused ship collision

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.

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.