SORONG, Indonesia: A British-owned cruise ship has smashed into pristine coral reefs, causing extensive damage in a remote corner of Indonesia known as one of the world’s most biodiverse marine habitats, researchers and officials said Tuesday. Environmental group Conservation International said that the Bahamas-flagged ship had gone into an area that it should not have entered due to the unique coral reefs. “This is a very, very big loss for us,” Victor Nikijuluw, the marine program director at Conservation International Indonesia, told Agence France-Presse. But the tug took numerous attempts to refloat the massive vessel, causing even more damage to the reef. A 2002 report from Conservation International said it was home to nearly 1,400 varieties of fish and 603 species of coral.

Source: Manila Times March 14, 2017 11:03 UTC