WASHINGTON, Jan 17 (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 (130 km) 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.
(Writing by Peter Cooney; Editing by David Brunnstrom)
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