A tanker’s steering system failed and kept its rudder in a position that sent it crashing into a cruise ship docked in New Orleans, U.S. government safety officials said Sunday.
The preliminary finding from National Transportation Safety Board officials provided the first official word on what caused Friday's crash of the Atlantic Asphalt tanker into the American Heritage cruise ship, which sent passengers, crew and two police officers plunging into the Mississippi River.
NTSB officials said during a briefing in New Orleans that it's not yet clear what caused the steering failure.
“It could be many different things,” NTSB accident investigator Bart Barnum said. “That is something that we're investigating very closely.”
The tanker, measuring about 520 feet (160 meters) long, had a crew of 19. The cruise ship, about 300 feet (91 meters) long, had 140 passengers and 50 crew onboard.
Officials said 32 people were taken to the hospital, including the two police officers who were thrown into the river when the boat rolled, but none of the injuries were critical. As of Sunday, six people remained hospitalized, the city of New Orleans said in a statement.
The tanker's steering problem caused its rudder to remain in a starboard position, to the right, which sent the tanker veering toward the east bank of the river, where it hit the cruise ship two minutes after the rudder became stuck, Barnum said.
As the tanker approached the river's east bank, the ship’s data recorder captured audio sounds “consistent” with the ship’s whistle going off, along with warnings and requests for assistance broadcast over the vessel’s marine radio, Barnum said. He added the data included commands to deploy the vessel anchors and emergency ship handling orders.
NTSB Member John DeLeeuw urged people with photos or video of the crash to submit them to his agency to help with its investigation, which is expected to result in a preliminary report within 30 days. He also praised the “the excellent response” from federal, state, local and private vessels that helped rescue people immediately after the crash.
The cruise ship capsized in 22 minutes, DeLeeuw said.
Just hours after the crash, the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans filed a federal lawsuit saying that the tanker caused at least $1 million in damage to its terminal. A judge issued a warrant Friday giving federal officials control of the ship for now.
