The cruise ship that ran aground on Oct. 23 while carrying 150 North Vancouver graduating students says that tampering was the cause. 

Students from Sutherland Secondary School on the Pride of Vancouver catamaran vessel were left stranded for hours.

Vanessa Garrett with Spirit Cruises said they have conducted an investigation into what happened in co-operation with Transport Canada, the Transport Safety Board and the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.

According to the investigation, the emergency shut-off had been tampered with. The protective cage had been removed and the shut-off was activated which caused the engine to stop while the ship was underway. 

On top of the shut-off being activated, a strong flowing current pushed the vessel off course which caused the starboard propeller to hit the sandbar they lodged on.

Garrett said that the company contacted the Canadian Coast Guard to get the passengers off the vessel as it would have taken longer for one of their own vessels to assist. 

There were no injuries to any passengers on the boat.