US agrees to pay for damage caused by US Navy ship to protected Philippine coral reef

U.S. Navy photo / Wiki Commons

MANILA, Philippines—A Philippine official says the United States will pay 87 million pesos ($1.9 million) for damage caused by a U.S. Navy minesweeper that ran aground on a protected coral reef last year.

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario told a legislative hearing on Friday that the U.

S. had agreed to pay the amount.

The minesweeper USS Guardian ran aground in the Tubbataha National Marine Park and was removed two months later after being dismantled and lifted piece by piece by a crane to prevent more damage to the reef.

The reef has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The ship’s grounding was an embarrassing event as Washington attempts to reassert its presence in Asia amid China’s rise. U.S. officials earlier apologized to the Philippines.