Add StudioX as a preferred source on GoogleSpirit Cruises says tampering with an emergency engine shut-off caused the Pride of Vancouver to run aground in Burrard Inlet while carrying about 150 North Vancouver students and chaperones on October 23. The operator says a protective cage had been removed and the shut-off activated, stopping the vessel’s engine. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says its assessment of the grounding is continuing.
The company’s explanation is a new development in an incident that left students aboard the catamaran for several hours near the Maplewood mudflats and the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge. No passenger injuries were reported.
What Spirit Cruises says happened
Spirit Cruises spokesperson Vanessa Garrett told CityNews on October 30 that the operator’s investigation found the protective cage around the vessel’s emergency engine shut-off had been removed and the switch activated while the boat was underway.
According to the company’s account, the engine stopped and a strong current pushed the vessel off course. The starboard propeller then struck a sandbar, leaving the Pride of Vancouver grounded near the Maplewood mudflats.
Garrett said the operator conducted its investigation in co-operation with Transport Canada, the Transportation Safety Board and the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. She also said the company did not know who had removed the protective cage or activated the shut-off.
The TSB has not announced a finding
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada confirmed on October 27 that it had deployed investigators to Shelter Island Marina in Richmond to examine the October 23 grounding in Burrard Inlet. The Board said it would gather information and assess the occurrence.
The TSB’s public notice does not confirm the operator’s explanation about tampering. The Board also states that its role is to advance transportation safety, not to assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability. Its assessment should therefore not be treated as a finding that a particular person caused the grounding.
Students were evacuated after the vessel ran aground
The Pride of Vancouver was carrying approximately 150 students from Sutherland Secondary School and chaperones during a graduation celebration cruise when it ran aground on October 23. Passengers remained aboard for several hours while rescue crews helped with the evacuation. No injuries were reported.
The incident occurred in Burrard Inlet near the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge. The Transportation Safety Board identifies the occurrence location as Burrard Inlet and says investigators attended the vessel at Shelter Island Marina in Richmond.
What remains unanswered
The operator has not identified who allegedly tampered with the emergency shut-off. The TSB has not published an investigation finding, and the public information reviewed by StudioX News does not establish whether any criminal investigation or charge has resulted from the incident.
For now, the tampering explanation remains the vessel operator’s account. Further conclusions about the sequence of events, responsibility or any safety deficiencies should await information from the relevant authorities.
Sources
- CityNews Vancouver: Investigation finds “tampering” to be cause of grad cruise ship running aground, October 30, 2026
- Transportation Safety Board of Canada: Deployment notice for the Pride of Vancouver grounding, October 27, 2026
Harnaik Singh Rathor is the Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of StudioX News Canada, Canada's multilingual digital news network serving multilingual diaspora communities across Canada. With a background in media production, public relations, and multicultural communications, he founded StudioX Film and TV Corporation to bridge the gap between mainstream Canadian media and the country's diverse immigrant communities. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), RTDNA Canada, CPRS Vancouver, NEPMCC, and the Canadian Freelance Union (Unifor). Based in Surrey, British Columbia. | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harnaiksinghrathor/ | Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/harnaiksinghrathor | Email: editor@studioxnews.ca
