Unalaska, AK – After nearly three weeks in Dutch Harbor, the Cougar Ace is finally leaving, sometime this week.

The Coast Guard has been monitoring the recovery effort since the car carrier was towed into Dutch Harbor on August 8. They're anticipating that the ship will leave on Wednesday; on-scene contractors working on the towing operation say that the Cougar Ace will leave whenever their final repair work is finished.

The vessel will be towed to Portland, Ore., by two tugboats from Crowley Maritime, the Sea Victory and the Gladiator. For the first time since it ran into problems in the North Pacific more than a month ago, the ship will be traveling without a Coast Guard escort.

When the Cougar Ace arrives in port, auto manufacturer Mazda will inspect its cargo of about 5,000 vehicles onboard the vessel. Most of the cars and SUVs remained in place on the car decks of the ship throughout the accident and the recovery effort.