Naval officer relieved of duties for alleged misconduct while deployed to Europe

A naval officer serving as second-in-command of a Canadian minesweeper deployed to Europe was relieved of her duties over an allegation of "inappropriate conduct of a sexualized nature."

The Department of National Defence announced the move in a statement Tuesday afternoon, saying the incident is alleged to have occurred during a port visit in Lisbon, Portugal.

The department did not reveal more details or the officer's name.

The allegations against the officer have not been proven in court.

The department says senior officers are investigating internally and that relieving the officer of her duties was considered "necessary to ensure effective leadership in HMCS Kingston."

Kingston is one of two Canadian vessels along with HMCS Summerside currently deployed with a NATO task force charged with finding and clearing mines from European waters.