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MapPort of New Orleans Sues Atlantic Asphalt Owners for $1 Million After Mississippi River Crash
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Port of New Orleans files a $1 million federal lawsuit against tanker owners. Tanker collided with a docked river cruise ship, capsizing it and triggering a large rescue.
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Lawsuit After Collision
The Port of New Orleans filed a $1 million federal lawsuit against the owners of the tanker vessel that struck and sank a New Orleans riverboat on Friday, naming the Atlantic Asphalt MV, Nave Shipping SA, and Thome Ship Management Pte Ltd. as defendants. The lawsuit was filed Friday evening in the Eastern District of Louisiana and alleged the maritime mishap caused at least $1 million in damage to the Thalia Street Terminal where the paddlewheel cruise ship American Heritage was docked. The lawsuit also sought an arrest warrant directing federal marshals to seize and hold the marine vessel Atlantic Asphalt, a 525-foot ship that appeared to lose control as it passed beneath the Crescent City Connection bridge.
The lawsuit identified Nave Shipping SA as a corporation registered in the country of Liberia and described Thome Ship Management Pte Ltd. as a private limited company based in Singapore. The lawsuit cited “negligence, gross negligence, fault or carelessness of the Atlantic Asphalt” and asked that the tanker be seized and sold to pay for the damage.
Injuries, Rescue, and Steering
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said 32 passengers from the cruise ship were taken to area hospitals for treatment after the Atlantic Asphalt hit the American Heritage, and she said none had critical injuries.
U.S. Coast Guard Capt Melanie Burnham told reporters that “There seems to be some type of a loss of steering,” while she said the exact reason remained unknown.
CBS News reported that the tanker struck the paddlewheel cruise boat while it was docked at about 12:30 p.m. local time, and it said the American Heritage passenger boat was on its side and largely submerged.
CBS News also reported that rescuers pulled approximately 100 people from the water and that eight people remained hospitalized Saturday afternoon, with two in serious condition.
The Port of New Orleans said the collision left the terminal “significantly damaged,” and the lawsuit described physical damage as estimated to exceed $1,000,000.
Seizure Order and Next Steps
The Guardian reported that the port obtained a federal court order authorizing the seizure of the Atlantic Asphalt tanker, and it said the judge Wendy Vitter approved the seizure request on Friday. The Port of New Orleans’ lawsuit asked for seizure and sale to help cover cleanup, inspections, repairs, and other expenses, and it alleged the allision occurred as a result of negligence and related fault. The Guardian said the crash occurred at about 12.30pm Friday while passengers were disembarking at the port’s Thalia Street terminal, and it said the port estimates repairs will exceed $1m.
CNN reported that the Port of New Orleans sued to ensure the seizure of the tanker hours after the collision, and it said the lawsuit named Thome Ship Management in Singapore. The Port of New Orleans said the investigation into the cause remained ongoing, and the National Transportation Safety Board sent a “Go Team” to the scene to begin its own investigation.