Asia & the Pacific



The bow of a US ship is hoisted up after it ran aground on the Tubbataha Reef.

Part of a US ship is hoisted up after it ran aground on the Tubbataha Reef. Image by Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet / CC BY-SA 2.0

A sum of US$1.97 million has been paid by the US to the Philippines as compensation for damage caused to more than 2000 sq km of the Tubbataha Reef, a Unesco World Heritage Site. A US ship ran aground on the reef in January 2013. The compensation money will be used to restore and protect the reef, according to the Philippine foreign ministry. The reef is a 10 to 12-hour boat ride from Puerto Princesa, Palawan .

Read more: bbc.com