US Navy ship taking on water on Philippine reef

(The Philippine Star)

January 24, 2013 - 1:15pm

In this Jan. 22, 2013 photo released by the Philippine Coast Guard, coast guard divers approach the USS Guardian, a U.S. Navy minesweeper, to assess the situation after it ran aground last week off Tubbataha Reef, a World Heritage Site in the Sulu Sea, 640 kilometers (400 miles) southwest of Manila, Philippines. A U.S. Navy official said the USS Guardian has been punctured and taking in water and has to be lifted off the rocks. - AP

MANILA, Philippines (AP) â€” A U.S. Navy official says a minesweeper that ran aground on a reef in the Philippines has been punched full of holes and is taking in a significant amount of water.

Rear Adm. Thomas Carney said Thursday that 56,000 liters (15,000 gallons) of fuel must be removed from the USS Guardian before a crane ship can lift it from the Tubbataha Reef.

Carney, the commander for the Navy's Logistics Group in the Western Pacific, expressed his "deepest regret" over the Jan. 17 accident and says the Navy is committed to removing the ship from the reef.

The Philippines says it wants to fine the Navy for the damage and illegal entry into the marine sanctuary that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

An investigation is under way.

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