A tanker plowed into a docked passenger cruise ship on the Mississippi River in New Orleans on Friday, sending 32 Americans to the hospital and leaving a paddlewheeler half-submerged with 160,000 gallons of fuel still on board. The people who ride these boats and work these waterways just got a brutal reminder that the infrastructure they depend on is one mechanical failure away from catastrophe.
The Atlantic Asphalt tanker struck the American Heritage — a 191-passenger river cruise ship operated by American Cruise Lines — at roughly 12:30 p.m. near the Crescent City Connection, according to the Port of New Orleans. Passengers had begun disembarking after the ship docked roughly two hours earlier. More than 100 people were pulled from the water. New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno called it a
