The 27 sailors on board the naval vessel Kallisto were rescued by coastguard patrol boats.

Both injured crew were taken to the navy hospital in Athens for treatment.

The minesweeper was taking on water after suffering serious damage to the stern and was towed back to the naval base on the nearby island of Salamina, the merchant navy ministry said.

Three coastguard patrol boats, two anti-pollution vessels, a ship, a navy helicopter and four tugs were involved in the rescue operation after the collision around 0530 GMT, the ministry added.

ERT public television reported tha the minesweeper was "almost sliced in half" and that it took "almost three hours" to tow it back to base on Salamina island outside Piraeus.

"It's a miracle that nobody died," government spokesman Stelios Petsas told news site Newsit. "You wonder how the cargo ship struck and almost mounted the warship."

Sea pollution originating from the incident is "under control", Merchant navy ministry spokesman Nikolaos Kokkalas told news agency Ana.

Piraeus port authorities opened an inquiry into the incident and confined to port the 200-metre (660 feet) container ship Maerck Launceston, which flies a Portuguese flag.

The ship's Polish captain and its crew have been questioned by authorities.

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