Passengers had to be evacuated after a Celebrity Cruises vessel suffered a soft grounding in the Galapagos Islands.

The incident occurred on Tuesday night when the 2,900-gt Xpedition (built 2001) hit a sandbar off Isabela Island, parent company Royal Caribbean said.

A total of 46 guests and 58 crew were transferred aboard a Celebrity sistership.

The Ecuadorian armed forces and the Galapagos National Park were notified.