Author: Floyd Whaley
Source: The New York Times
January 25, 2013

MANILA — The United States ambassador to the Philippines apologized on Friday for the grounding of an American naval ship on a reef in a marine sanctuary, the latest in a string of embarrassing incidents for the United States military in the country.

“I wish to convey to the Philippine government and people my profound regret over the grounding of the U.S.S. Guardian on Tubbataha Reef,” the American ambassador, Harry K. Thomas Jr., said in a statement issued on Friday.

The area struck by the ship is a Unesco World Heritage site, and is described by the organization as “a pristine coral reef” that is home to more than 350 species of coral and almost 500 types of fish.

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