ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Emergency vessels hurried to reach a cargo ship carrying nearly half a million gallons of fuel as it struggled off Alaska’s remote Aleutian Islands for a second day Saturday.

The 738-foot Golden Seas, with a full load of canola seed, suffered engine troubles in strong winds and rough seas Friday that caused it to drift toward Atka Island, about 1,300 miles southwest of Anchorage. During the night, after the weather eased, it motored at about 3 to 4 mph back out to sea. By Saturday morning it was about 40 miles from land, reducing fears it would run aground, said Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Dana Warr.

A powerful commercial tug was expected to arrive Saturday afternoon, he said. Strong winds continued, with 20- to 25-foot seas, but calmer weather appeared to be moving in. A Coast Guard cutter was also on the way.

"Everything is going well," Warr said. "We have rescue crews remaining in place in Dutch Harbor. The weather predictions seem to be diminishing."

Plans called for the 18,000-horsepower Tor Viking II to tow the Golden Seas to port at the nearby island of Adak or possibly in Dutch Harbor, about 350 miles away.

Responders said the vessel, which is managed by Allseas Marine, based in Athens, Greece, lost its turbo charger. That left it without enough power to overcome 29-foot seas and winds blowing at 45 mph.

Petty Officer David Mosley said the Liberia-flagged ship is carrying more than 457,500 gallons of fuel oil, nearly 12,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 10,000 gallons of lube oil.

The ship is en route from Vancouver, Canada, to the United Arab Emirates, the Coast Guard said.

There were no reports of injuries among the 20 crew members on board.

The Golden Seas is the latest example of the challenges involved in responding to incidents in the remote region, said Whit Sheard, an Oceana attorney who sits on the Aleutian Island Risk Assessment Advisory Panel, established with criminal settlement funds from the grounding of the Selendang Ayu six years ago.

The ship, the same size of the Golden Seas, ran aground Dec. 8, 2004, and broke apart on the north side of Unalaska Island, also in the Aleutians. About 66,000 tons of soybeans were lost.

During rescue operations, a rogue wave crashed into a Coast Guard helicopter lifting Selendang Ayu crew members from the freighter, and the aircraft crashed. Six of the 10 freighter crew members were killed.

Sheard said emergencies such as Friday’s event again illustrate the crucial need for better response mechanisms, such as larger tugs in the area. Unalaska’s Dutch Harbor is the only port in the region with a possible response vessel, according to Sheard, who was among those monitoring the response to the Golden Seas.

"The concern here is we’ll have another major accident like the Selendang Ayu," he said.