Key facts
- The Port of New Orleans claims more than $1 million in damage from the collision, according to court documents.
- The lawsuit names the tanker M/V Atlantic Asphalt, owner Nave Shipping SA and manager Thome Ship Management Pte Ltd.
- The port asks the court to have the tanker seized and sold to pay for cleanup, inspections, repairs and other expenses.
- The suit alleges the collision resulted from negligence, gross negligence, fault or carelessness of the ship and operating companies.
- US Coast Guard Capt Melanie Burnham said there seemed to be some type of loss of steering; the cause remains under investigation.
- Nave Shipping is a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, which the BBC contacted for comment.
The Port of New Orleans sued the owners and managers of the tanker Atlantic Asphalt in federal court in the Eastern District of Louisiana on November 13, 2026, over its collision with the cruise ship American Heritage, according to court documents reported by the BBC. The port claims more than $1 million in damage and alleges the collision occurred because of the negligence, gross negligence, fault or carelessness of the ship and its operating companies, which it says failed to use all available means to avoid the risk of colliding with the riverboat.
The lawsuit names the tanker, its owner Nave Shipping SA and its management company Thome Ship Management Pte Ltd. It asks that the tanker be seized and sold to cover cleanup, inspections, repairs and other expenses, and says the port terminal was significantly damaged. Nave Shipping is a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, which the BBC contacted for comment; Thome Ship Management was also contacted.
The American Heritage was struck on the afternoon of November 13 while docked in New Orleans, leaving the paddlewheel cruise ship on its side and partially submerged in the Mississippi River. About 129 passengers were aboard in addition to crew, according to the port authority, and 32 people were taken to hospital with non-critical injuries, with no one unaccounted for. Officials described the rescue as a miracle on the Mississippi.
The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation. US Coast Guard Capt Melanie Burnham said there seemed to be some type of loss of steering. Thome Ship Management said in a statement on November 14 that the Atlantic Asphalt crew were safe and accounted for and that OSM Thome was fully complying with local authorities carrying out the investigations. The American Heritage had been finishing an eight-day cruise calling at destinations in Louisiana and Mississippi.