Land Ho!: Ferry runs aground at Washington port

COUPEVILLE, Wash. – Officials continue to investigate what caused a ferry grounding at a Washington port.

KING-TV reports it is still unknown exactly what caused the MV Salish to run aground at the Coupeville ferry terminal Sunday afternoon.

Washington State Ferries spokesman Ian Sterling says Keystone Harbor is the most challenging landing in the system with “zero room” for something to go wrong.

Ferry service for the Port Townsend/Coupeville route was halted for several hours after the “soft grounding” of the Salish. Soft grounding means the vessel was freed without assistance.

Sterling says the 748-passenger ferry will need repairs. Sterling says the goal is to get divers in the water or the boat lifted to determine what repairs are needed.

Officials say the goal is to get the MV Salish back in service as soon as possible.