US Navy Ship Runs Aground on Reef in Philippines

A U.S Navy minesweeper, the USS Guardian, is stuck on a reef after it ran aground in the Sulu Sea off the Philippines Thursday, reports Reuters.

The incident that occurred at 2.25 a.m. local time on Tubbataha Reef about 80 miles east-southeast of Palawan Island in Philippines, caused no injury to the 80 crew members and other enlisted personnel  and there was no sign of any fuel leakage, reported  ABC News.

Tubbataha National Marine Park is a World Heritage Site consisting of two coral atolls.

This mishap occurred after the ship completed a port call at Subic Bay in the Philippines. It was proceeding to Puerto Princesa for another visit.

 It is being reported that the crew is currently working toward safely removing the ship from the reefs. Whether this incident caused any damage to the reef is not yet known.

"The Government of the Philippines was promptly informed of the incident and offered to assist the U.S. Navy, and we greatly appreciate their offers of assistance," press and information officer Tina Malone of the U.S. Embassy, Manila, said in an email to GMA News Online. "The safety of the Guardian's crew and preventing harm to the environment are the U.S. Navy's top priorities," she added.

The USS Guardian is a U.S Navy Avenger class mine countermeasures ship and is assigned to the U.S Navy's 7^th fleet and forward-deployed to Sasebo,Japan.