( CNN ) -- A giant freighter disabled in high and frigid seas near Alaska 's remote Aleutian Islands could be under tow by late Saturday , officials said . The 738-foot Golden Seas , with a full load of canola seed , suffered engine problems Friday morning and was chugging along at only 3 knots ( 3.5 mph ) . The 20-member crew and rescue officials were concerned about it running aground on Atka Island , but weather conditions have improved , the U.S. Coast Guard said . The Golden Seas was about 50 miles north of the island late Saturday afternoon . Winds in the 40- to 50-knot range were expected to fall to 30 knots ( 35 mph ) . `` The safety of the crew is paramount . At the current time they are not in any danger , '' Jeremy Michels , responsible party incident commander , said in a teleconference . The vessel , owned by the Greek company Allseas Marine , was traveling from Vancouver , British Columbia , to the United Arab Emirates . Besides the seed , the Golden Seas has more than 450,000 gallons of crude oil , 11,700 gallons of diesel and 10,000 gallons of lube oil on board , the Coast Guard said . A tow vessel were expected to arrive late Saturday and the Coast Guard cutter Alex Haley will be on scene Sunday morning . Plans call for the Golden Seas to be towed to Dutch Harbor , about 270 miles away . The operation will be challenging because of high seas , officials said . If it goes as planned , the Golden Seas could reach port by Monday morning . The Golden Seas got a respite from punishing seas Friday when waves dropped from 29 feet to 20 feet , `` allowing the crew to utilize limited engine capability to maneuver northeast away from land , '' the Coast Guard said in a statement . Seas were expected to be at between 16 feet and 20 feet Sunday . Helicopters aided the effort to keep the freighter from drifting southeast and running aground on Atka , part of the Aleutian Islands in the Bering Sea . Concerns about the vessel running aground and spilling oil subsided Saturday , said Gary Folley of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation . The state and U.S. Coast Guard are conducting a risk assessment of rescue operations in the region , said Folley . The study will include a look at possible funding to add more rescue tugs on the islands . `` It is enough to have [ one ] rescue tug in Dutch Harbor ? '' Folley asked . CNN 's Phil Gast contributed to this report .
NEW : Weather conditions improve . The freighter suffered engine loss off the Aleutian Islands . Rescue aircraft and vessels are assisting the crew . A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter flies over a ship that ran aground in Alaska on July 29.