Unalaska, AK – Rescue crews from the U.S. Coast Guard and Alaska Air National Guard were both coming to the aid of a Japanese container vessel that was foundering south of the Aleutians Monday evening.

The Cougar Ace, a 654-foot car carrier, ran into trouble 230 miles from Adak Island in the North Pacific Sunday night. The cause of the emergency remains unknown. What is known is that the vessel is listing almost horizontally and leaking oil, and that its 22-person crew is still on board. The Japanese-owned ship was on its way from Singapore to Vancouver, British Columbia with a cargo of nearly 5,000 vehicles when it began having problems, notifying the Coast Guard of its situation at 11:09 p.m. Sunday night.

The Coast Guard initially dispatched an aircraft from Kodiak to stand by at the ship's location, ready to drop life rafts if necessary. A nearby merchant vessel tried to mount a ship-to-ship rescue of the crew members later in the afternoon, but choppy seas thwarted the effort. The Coast Guard cutter Rush is on its way and is expected to reach the Cougar Ace early Tuesday morning. In the meantime, two Pavehawk helicopters have been dispatched from Kulis Air National Guard Base in Anchorage, as well as two Hercules aircraft equipped to refuel the helicopters in mid-flight, which will be necessary for them to reach the remote location. A third Hercules has been sent along to help out with communications.

The only injury reported among the Cougar Ace's crew so far is a broken leg. If the crew needs medical treatment it will most likely be taken to the small clinic on Adak Island. Michael Terry, the one nurse-practitioner in Adak, said that it was not unusual for his clinic to receive victims of marine accidents like this one, and that the community is well-prepared.

Also of concern are the 430 metric tons of fuel oil and 112 metric tons of diesel fuel aboard the vessel, some of which has already spilled. According to the Coast Guard, a sheen of oil has spread for two miles around the ship.