New Orleans port sues Chinese-owned tanker in seizure attempt after cruise ship collision

The tanker, the Atlantic Asphalt, collided with the American Heritage cruise ship on Friday, leading to what the lawsuit stated was over $1 million in damages to the dock, but no deaths.

The Port of New Orleans filed a $1 million lawsuit to gain control of a Chinese subsidiary-owned tanker which crashed into a docked river cruise ship on Friday.

The tanker, the Atlantic Asphalt, collided with the American Heritage cruise ship, leading to what the lawsuit stated was over $1 million in damages to the dock, but no deaths among the 197 passengers and crew members of the cruise ship.

Thirty-two people were taken to the hospital in the wake of the collision, but no critical injuries were reported and as of Saturday only eight remained in the hospital, according to the Associated Press.

The exact cause of the crash is unknown, but US Coast Guard Capt Melanie Burnham said that "There seems to be some type of a loss of steering."

New Orleans accuses tanker of negligence in cruise ship collision

In the lawsuit, the New Orleans port requested that the tanker be seized and sold to pay for the damages, claiming that the accident had occurred "as a result of the negligence, gross negligence, fault, or carelessness" of the ship and operating companies, which had failed to "use all available means to avoid the risk."

National Transportation Safety Board member John DeLeeuw said that a preliminary report on the cause of the collision was expected to be released within 30 days, with a complete report likely taking between 18-24 months.

The Atlantic Asphalt is owned by the Liberia-registered Nave Shipping SA, which is a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation.