Unalaska, AK – A Japanese container vessel is taking on water south of the Aleutians and a research vessel is missing a crew member in the Bering Sea following two separate accidents last night.

A U.S. Coast Guard C-130 aircraft based out of Kodiak is standing by to rescue the crew of the Cougar Ace, a 654-foot car carrier that began listing and leaking oil 230 miles from Adak Island in the North Pacific last night. The cause of the emergency is unknown as of yet. The Japanese-owned ship was en route from Singapore to Vancouver, British Columbia with a cargo of nearly 5,000 vehicles when it ran into trouble, notifying the Coast Guard of its situation at 11:09 p.m. last night. Coast Guard Petty Office Sara Francis said that, in addition to the aircraft, the Coast Guard had dispatched the Rush, a Hawaii-based cutter that was on a law enforcement mission in Alaskan waters.

Francis said that the Rush would arrive on the scene at around 5:30 tomorrow morning. Two merchant vessels are also standing by in the vicinity to help out if necessary.

There are 22 crew members on board the Cougar Ace. The only injury reported among them so far is a broken leg. 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.

The Cougar Ace is one of two emergencies the Coast Guard is attending in the region today. A skiff from the Kodiak-based research vessel Heritage capsized in the Bering Sea near St. Matthew Island, also at about 11 p.m. last night, with four crew members on board. Three of them were able to swim to shore, but the fourth is still missing.

A Kodiak-based Coast Guard helicopter and the crew of the Coast Guard cutter Morganthau, which is in the region, are searching for the missing crew member today. The vessel's owner, the Heritage Fishing Partnership, couldn't be reached for comment this morning.