Alaska cruise ship comes to rest on sandbar; second incident for the company in 6 months

Professional Mariner -- Already undergoing a U.S. Coast Guard safety review because of previous incidents, Cruise West Enterprises had another of its vessels run aground in July off Alaska.

The 178-foot cruise ship Spirit of Glacier Bay grounded on a sandbar in Tarr Inlet near Glacier Bay National Park on July 7. It was the second grounding of one the company’s ships in just over a month. The Coast Guard is reviewing Cruise West’s safety and maintenance procedures following three mechanical failures and the grounding of Spirit of Alaska on June 4.

Coast Guard Station Juneau reported that the Spirit of Glacier Bay incident occurred at 0747, with no breach of the hull. No injuries were reported among the 51 people onboard. READ MORE