Coast Guard: Disabled cruise ship cleared to sail on to New York

BOSTON — A cruise ship that became disabled off the Massachusetts coast was cleared by the U.S. Coast Guard on Saturday to continue on to New York.

The Star Pride docked in Newport, Rhode Island, on Friday night so it could be inspected.

The vessel, carrying 351 people, became stranded earlier Friday in Buzzards Bay between Woods Hole and Martha's Vineyard. Windstar Cruises, which operates the Star Pride, said the ship experienced a loss of cooling water for the engine systems, causing an automatic shutdown of the propulsion and auxiliary engines.

No injuries were reported.

The company said the cause of the shutdown was identified and addressed and all ship operations returned to normal on Friday.

A tug boat escorted the vessel to Newport, where it was docked overnight for the inspection to "ensure the safety of the passengers and crew," Coast Guard Capt. Chris Chandler said. The Coast Guard said on Twitter early Saturday that the vessel had passed inspection.

The ship was nearing the end of a 17-day cruise from Reykjavik, Iceland, to New York.

It was scheduled to depart New York on Saturday for a cruise to Montreal. The Newport Daily News reports that because of the delay, the cruise ship will skip a scheduled stop in Newport on Sunday, when passengers would have been able to disembark and tour the city, including its famous mansions.