Technicians have temporarily repaired the rudder of the 656-foot cargo vessel Morning Cedar.

The vessel was en route from Vancouver, Canada to Japan with a load of packaged timber when a hydraulic leak left it without steering.  It's been adrift in the western Bering Sea, north of Adak, since December 5. 

Both the crew and the Coast Guard tried to fix the rudder without success.  The Morning Cedar’s parent company, Eukor Car Carrier, contracted specialists from Norway and Washington to fly out and attempt repairs.

The Coast Guard airlifted the technicians from Adak to the vessel last night.  According to Petty Officer Jonathan Lally, they were able to get the steering system working again this morning.

The fix is only temporary though, so the ship is headed for the Port of Dutch Harbor for more permanent repairs. The Coast Guard cutter Sherman will accompany the vessel into port. They’re expected to arrive on Sunday afternoon.