Data recorder recovered from tanker in New Orleans cruise ship collision, NTSB says

By David Thomas

Nov 14 (Reuters) – Investigators from the US National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday they have recovered the voyage data recorder from the tanker ship that collided with a luxury paddle-wheeler docked in New Orleans on the Mississippi River.

• The voyage data recorder documents a ship’s speed, direction and course, as well as audio from the bridge and other information

• The tanker, Atlantic Asphalt, collided on Friday with American ​Cruise Lines paddle-wheeler American Heritage, which had 191 people on board. Passengers on the American Heritage began to flee the ship as it sank

• No one was killed in the collision. First responders pulled about 100 people from the water, New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said Saturday

• Thirty-two people were taken to local hospitals on Friday after the collision. Nine remained hospitalized on Saturday afternoon, Moreno said

• The NTSB has 16 investigators on-site and is looking to schedule interviews with people involved in the incident, NTSB member John DeLeeuw said during a Saturday news conference

• Anyone who has video of the collision should submit it to the NTSB, he said

• Moreno said it might take weeks for the sunken American Heritage to be removed from the site

(Reporting by David Thomas; Editing by Sergio Non)