Unalaska, AK – Inspections of the processing ship Stellar Sea upon its arrival in Dutch Harbor yesterday suggest that the vessel suffered less damage than was feared at first.

The vessel was towed into port by tugboat after it was disabled by an engine room fire in the middle of the Bering Sea Tuesday night. Mark Weed, the president of Seattle-based Stellar Seafoods, which owns the Stellar Sea, said he didn't want to comment extensively on the condition of the vessel, but he said that initial inspections suggested the electrical damage wasn't as bad as he had expected it to be.

The Coast Guard's Dutch Harbor marine safety detachment surveyed the ship Thursday evening. Petty Officer Gary Bullock said that based on that inspection, they think that the ship could be up and running again in 10 to 14 days if there's no permanent damage to the engine.

The Stellar Sea's 142 crew members and seafood processors are being housed at the Grand Aleutian Hotel until the Stellar Sea's owners determine how long it will take to put the ship back out to sea. The vessel is contracted to Peter Pan Seafoods and was on its way to St. Paul Island to process opilio crab when the fire occurred.