A small cruise ship carrying 41 passengers and 22 crew members halted its trip through Tracy Arm in Southeast this morning after scraping the ocean bottom, according to the Coast Guard.

The Spirit of Alaska, owned by Cruise West, touched bottom in Tracy Arm, a popular tour destination for glacier viewing 45 miles south of Juneau. The ship's staff called the Coast Guard to report the accident at about 8 a.m., Coast Guard Petty Officer Levi Read said.

The ship is not grounded; it is anchored in the arm's Williams Cove awaiting a Coast Guard inspection, he said.

The 143-foot vessel did not take on water and did not have interior damage but is having a problem with its propulsion system, Read said.

The Coast Guard has sent a rescue helicopter from Sitka, the cutter Liberty and a 47-foot motor lifeboat from Juneau, Read said. He did not know when they will arrive.

The responders will inspect the ship's exterior for damage, he said. A passenger evacuation is not needed now, he added.