Environmental authorities in the Northern Marianas are closely monitoring a cargo ship which ran aground near the Port of Saipan.
The 526-foot long, 16,000-ton Antigua and Barbuda-flagged container ship has been grounded on the reef off Micro Beach since Monday.
Salvaging the Paul Russ ship has been complicated by the discovery of unexploded ordnance near the vessel.
Our CNMI correspondent, Mark Rabago, says there's around 400 thousand gallons of fuel still in the ship's tank.
"Everybody is very cautious that it doesn't spill into the water, into the pristine water, and also damage the reef, there are some corals there. So the environmental agency in the CNMI is closely monitoring the situation and hoping for the best that they can salvage the ship without destroying the eco-system here in the islands."
Mark Rabago says there has been no reports of an oil spill, and there have been no reports of injury to the 17 crew members.
An aerial shot of the Paul Russ ship ran aground entering the Port of Saipan, in the CNMI. Photo: supplied
