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A US Navy
minesweeper is stuck on a coral reef off the Philippines after running aground
early on Thursday.
The USS
Guardian struck the reef in the Sulu Sea south-east of Palawan island after
completing a port call at the former US naval base of Subic Bay.
The reef is
in the Tubbataha National Marine Park, designated a World Heritage Site by
Unesco.
Efforts were
made to free the Guardian at high tide on Friday but were not successful, said
the US Navy.
In a statement, it said the ship had 79 crew on board when it ran aground, but that
72 were being transferred to a smaller vessel "as a precautionary
measure".
"A
small complement of engineering and bridge personnel will remain aboard and
work with a US Navy team in an attempt to free Guardian with minimal
environmental impact," it said.
The cause
of the grounding is still under investigation. No-one was hurt in the incident.
Philippine
coast guards were being sent to check for damage to the reef, local media said.
Park rangers had earlier been prevented from inspecting the ship, the reports
said.
Washington
and Manila are allies, and have been strengthening ties in recent months amid
concern over territorial disputes with Beijing over the South China Sea.
According to Unesco, the area the ship is grounded is a "unique example of an atoll
reef with a very high density of marine species". Part of it serves as a
nesting site for birds and marine turtles, it says.
Environmental
group Greenpeace was fined almost $7,000 (£4,380) in November 2005 for damaging
a coral reef in the park after its flagship Rainbow Warrior II ran aground.
Greenpeace
paid the fine but blamed the accident on outdated maps provided by the
Philippine government.
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