A large cargo plane diverted Monday to the Halifax Stanfield International Airport because of problems with its fuel gauges has landed safely, according to UPS Airlines spokesman Mike Mangeot.

The UPS flight, call sign UPS213, landed at the airport just before 10 a.m. The flight was on its way from Louisville, Ky., to Cologne, Germany.

"Essentially our pilots weren't sure about how the aircraft was burning fuel versus what the fuel gauges read, and on a transoceanic flight in particular we're going to err on the side of safety. So they decided it would be smartest to divert to Halifax," said Mangeot.

He said the pilots followed safety procedures by declaring an emergency, but were in no real danger.

"The pilots decided to divert out of an abundance of caution," said Mangeot.

Emergency crews were called in for the landing but were not needed. Only the two pilots were aboard the cargo plane.

"An MD-11 is a long range international jet, carries about 190,000 pounds of cargo. We use them on what we call our trunk routes, which are long range oceanic flights all over the world," said Mangeot.

He said it's "rare" for UPS Airlines to run into this kind of mechanical problem.

The plane will be inspected and repaired before it's put back into service. Mangeot said he doesn't know how long that work will take. UPS has sent another plane to pick up the cargo in Halifax.