MV Selendang Ayu, , was a Malaysian-registered Panamax bulk cargo ship chartered by the IMC Group. It ran aground off Unalaska Island in western Alaska's Aleutian Islands on 8 December 2004 after its engine failed. Six crew members died when a rescue helicopter was engulfed by a breaking wave; the ship broke in two, resulting in a large oil spill. Final voyage On 28 November 2004, Selendang Ayu left Seattle, Washington, bound for Xiamen, China. On board was a cargo of of soybeans, along with of fuel oil. Arrival in China was scheduled for 17 December but the ship was running at reduced speed due to high winds and heavy seas. After the ship had sailed through Unimak Pass, the ship's engine malfunctioned and was shut down, at around noon on 6 December. At this point, the ship was north-west of Bogoslof Island and around from Dutch Harbor, the nearest port. The cause of the engine failure was found to be a cracked liner in the no. 3 cylinder and the ship's engineers decided to isolate that cylinder, restart the engine using the five remaining cylinders and sail to Dutch Harbor, where the defective cylinder could be repaired. By 21:00, the no. 3 cylinder had been isolated but the engine could not be restarted. At this time, the wind was Beaufort force 8, from the north-west, and the ship was drifting towards land at about . The following morning, it was discovered that four of the engine's cylinders also had cracked piston rings. It was decided to replace the worst of these and make another attempt to restart the engine. By now, the sustained wind speed was around and the ship was drifting at in seas. At 11:00, the US Coast Guard cutter arrived on scene and was standing by. The no. 6 cylinder head, weighing was removed and lashed to the deck but worsening weather and the ship's roll prevented any more work on the engine for the next 18 hours. Fuel was transferred to inboard tanks to reduce the likelihood of a spill if the ship should run aground. During the afternoon, the ship drifted past Bogoslof Island at a distance of around . The ocean-going tug Sidney Foss arrived after sunset at 18:30 and a line was attached. However, with winds now at and waves of , the tug was only able to slow the vessel's drift.