Portuguese Navy Sail Training Vessel Sinks at the Pier

[Brief] A Portuguese Navy training ship has gone down at its pier at the Lisbon Naval Base, according to the service.

"At the Lisbon Naval Base, the NRP Polar, a sailboat used for training, had a rapid entry of water, which resulted in its loss of buoyancy. There are no personal injuries to report from this incident," the Portuguese Navy said in a statement last week. 

No environmental risk is expected, but a boom has been placed around the sunken vessel as a precautionary measure. Dive operations are already under way to find the source of the flooding and prepare the hull for refloating. 

An investigation into the cause of the casualty is under way. 

NRP Polar (ex name Anne Linde) is a gaff-rigged schooner built in 1977. It was a charter vessel until 1983, when the Portuguese Navy acquired it for cadet training. The 75-foot vessel can accommodate 12 trainees at a time.