The U.S. Navy's USS Guardian crashed into a protected Philippine coral reef today. No injuries have been reported.

The boat struck a reef at Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, a World Heritage Site in the Sulu Sea, located 400 miles southeast of Manila. Angelique Songco, head of the government's Protected Area Management Board, said the government fines offenders about $300 dollars per square yard for corals that are damaged.

The crew of the minesweeper is looking for the best method to remove the ship, according to a statement from the Navy. Songco said oil was not seeping from the ship, although about 15 percent of the bow seemed to be caught in the reef. It's unclear how much of the reef is damaged, she said. The ship may be able to float free later today during a high tide.

The Navy isn't the first group to crash into one of the Philippines' reefs. Greenpeace incurred a fine from the Philippines in 2005 when its flagship Rainbow Warrior ran aground on a nearby reef (Associated Press, Jan. 17). -- WW