A UM research ship ran aground on a coral reef last month but never reported the damage. The school now faces potentially heavy penalties and costs.

The University of Miami's marine research ship struck and stuck fast on a shallow reef in Biscayne National Park, then cruised on without reporting the incident. The university and the ship's captain both could face potentially heavy penalties for the grounding, which left the 96-foot F.G. Walton Smith wedged on a patch of coral for about an hour just southeast of Elliott Key last month.