Key takeaways:
- The port’s federal lawsuit names the M/V Atlantic Asphalt, its owner Nave Shipping SA and its manager Thome Ship Management Pte Ltd.
- About 129 passengers and crew members were aboard the American Heritage; the BBC reported that 32 people were taken to hospital with non-critical injuries.
- The port seeks more than $1 million for damage and expenses and asks that the tanker be seized and sold to pay for it.
The Port of New Orleans is seeking more than $1 million from the owners and managers of a tanker that struck a docked riverboat cruise ship on the Mississippi River, leaving the passenger vessel on its side and partially submerged.
The port filed the lawsuit in federal court late Friday, hours after the M/V Atlantic Asphalt hit the American Heritage at the Thalia Street Terminal. The suit names the tanker, its owner, Nave Shipping SA, and its manager, Thome Ship Management Pte Ltd. It says the terminal was significantly damaged and asks that the tanker be seized and sold to pay for the damage.
About 129 passengers, along with crew members, were aboard the American Heritage when the collision occurred Friday afternoon, according to the port. Everyone aboard both vessels was accounted for, and no fatalities or critical injuries were reported. The BBC reported that 32 people from the riverboat were taken to hospital with non-critical injuries and that more than 100 passengers were rescued from the river.
Tugboat operators, police and other rescuers responded as officials halted traffic on the Mississippi River during the rescue, the BBC reported. Officials described the outcome as a “miracle on the Mississippi,” according to the BBC. The American Heritage had been finishing an eight-day cruise with stops in Louisiana and Mississippi, the outlet reported.
The cause of the collision remains under investigation. “There seems to be some type of a loss of steering,” U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Melanie Burnham said, according to the BBC. The port’s lawsuit alleges that the tanker and the companies responsible for it failed “to use all available means to avoid the risk” of striking the stationary riverboat. It also says a presumption of fault arises when a vessel hits a stationary object.
The collision “occurred as a result of the negligence, gross negligence, fault or carelessness” of the ship and operating companies, the lawsuit alleges. Those claims have not been established by the investigation.
The full extent of the damage is still being assessed. The port is seeking payment for cleanup, inspections, repairs and other expenses, and the lawsuit says additional parties could be added as the investigation continues, CBS News reported.
Thome said Saturday that the Atlantic Asphalt’s crew was safe and accounted for. The company said the tanker had been separated from the riverboat and was stably anchored while damage was assessed, according to CBS News.
“OSM Thome is fully complying with the local authorities as they carry out the necessary investigations,” the company said. “We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all parties and personnel who responded to this incident with urgency and humanity.”
Nave Shipping and Thome did not immediately respond to CBS News requests for comment about the lawsuit. Nave Shipping is a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, according to the BBC, which said it had contacted the parent company for comment.
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