U.S. Navy minesweeper runs aground off Philippines

17 January 2013 | 15:21 Code : 1911657 Latest Headlines

(Reuters) - A U.S. Navy minesweeper, the USS Guardian, ran aground in the Sulu Sea off the Philippines on Thursday, and was stuck on a reef, the Navy said.

No one was injured in the incident, which occurred at 2:25 a.m. local time on Tubbataha Reef about 80 miles east-southeast of Palawan Island, in the Philippines, the Navy said. There were no reports that any fuel leaked from the vessel.

The ship, with a crew of 80, had just completed a port call at Subic Bay in the Philippines, when the grounding occurred.

"The crew is currently working to determine the best method of safely extracting the ship," a Navy statement said, adding that the cause of the grounding was under investigation.

tags: navy