A United States Navy ship ran aground in the Philippines Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013, around 2:25 a.m. local time. (Wednesday, 1:25 p.m. EST) According to NBC World News, the Navy has confirmed that the USS Guardian ran aground in the Sulu Sea on Tubataha Reef off the Philippines and is stuck.
The ship is located around 80 miles east-southeast of Palawan Island and had just completed a port call at Subic Bay in the Philippines. No one was injured.
NBC World News reports that there were 80 on board, and ABC News reports that there were 81 on board, comprised of 6 officers and 75 enlisted sailors. ABCNews has the official statement from the Navy:
A Navy statement said the USS Guardian (MCM-5) ran aground on the Tubataha Reef at 2:25 a.m. local time while transiting in the Sulu Sea. The reef is located almost 400 miles south of the Philippine capital of Manila.
According to the statement released by the Navy’s Seventh Fleet, the Avenger-Class mine countermeasures ship was en route to its next port of call when the grounding occurred in the middle of the Sulu Sea.
“The ship is currently stuck on the reef, approximately 80 miles east-southeast of Palawan Island,” said the statement late Wednesday. “The crew is currently working to determine the best method of safely extracting the ship.”
ABCNews also reports that a Navy official told them that the grounding is under investigation. Fortunately, they added that an initial damage assessment did not show any leakage of fuel or oil from the USS Guardian.
Be sure and find Tri-Cities Top News Examiner on Facebook.
Comments