NTSB investigators recover data recorder from tanker after New Orleans cruise ship crash

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Members of the National Transportation Safety Board arrived in New Orleans on Saturday to investigate Friday’s crash between a cruise ship and a tanker, and the board said investigators have already recovered the tanker’s voyage data recorder.

The NTSB said a crew of 16 investigators recovered the recorder from the Atlantic Asphalt within hours of arriving. The Atlantic Asphalt is the tanker that struck the cruise ship American Heritage at the Port of New Orleans on Friday.

Drew Ehlers, deputy director of the NTSB’s Office of Marine Safety, said, “It’s basic parameters: speed through the water, direction, course. And also it has audio from the bridge of the vessel.”

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NTSB board member John DeLeeuw said, “It’s like a flight data recorder on an aircraft where we can look at speeds and all kinds of information.”

The recorder is a key piece of evidence that could point to what went wrong seconds before impact.

DeLeeuw would not speculate on the cause of the crash. U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Melanie Burnham said Saturday that mayday calls suggest a technical failure.

“I do not have any indication that this is terrorism related in any way, shape or form, but again the investigators will continue working through that,” Burnham said.

The NTSB is now the lead investigative authority on the crash, which sank the American Heritage. All 191 people on board were rescued.

Melanie Montroll, chief of the Port of New Orleans Harbor Police, said, “It was a tough decision to ask those officers to go onto a ship that we knew was going to sink; ultimately, preservation of life was important to us.”

Mayor Moreno said, “I just still can’t, I can’t believe it. I know I’ve said it before, but it truly is a miracle.”

Over the next seven days, the NTSB plans to interview witnesses, examine both vessels, collect crash videos and send divers into the Mississippi River to retrieve evidence.

“Right now we’re looking at recovering all the perishable things,” DeLeeuw said.

The tanker has been towed away and is docked in Gretna. Investigators plan to board it this weekend.

The Coast Guard is working to offload hazardous materials from the American Heritage, including an estimated 16,000 gallons of fuel. Officials said salvaging the ship could take weeks.

“We are talking weeks. We are not talking days; we are talking weeks. So we are going to do this safely, and we are going to make sure it is done right,” Burnham said.

The American Heritage remains submerged in 25 feet of water, resting on its side in the river.

The NTSB expects to release a preliminary report in 30 days. The board said complete findings, including the cause of the crash, could take 18 to 24 months to compile.

Anyone with video of the crash or its aftermath is asked to email it to [email protected] .

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