Ship refloated after hitting land near Prince Rupert

A container ship is being taken to Prince Rupert's Fairview Terminal after it ran aground in the Prince Rupert Harbour on Tuesday evening while trying to avoid a smaller boat.

The Hanjin Geneva hit the shore about six nautical miles from Prince Rupert at about 10:30 p.m. PT Tuesday night.

It was refloated during the high tide on Wednesday morning.

"The Hanjin Geneva was entering Prince Rupert Habour and was moving to avoid a small fishing vessel," said Michael Gurney, a spokesman with the Prince Rupert Port Authority.

"The type of ground that it's has run aground in is soft sand, it's not rocky at all."

There are no reports of any injuries and the Transportation Safety Board is deploying a team of investigators to Prince Rupert.

"Well it's a very serious matter and we've been taking it very seriously. I think that the response from the port community was thoroughly professional and efficient," said Gurney.

The Port Authority's security operations centre says initial indications are that the Hanjin Geneva did not sustain major damage.

Three tugboats and a coast guard vessel are taking the ship to the Prince Rupert Fairview Terminal, said Gurney.