GALVESTON, Texas—The 22-man crew of a disabled freighter adrift in the Gulf of Mexico safely rode out the worst of Hurricane Ike and was waiting for a tow to land, the Coast Guard said Friday.

The 584-foot ship, carrying a load of petroleum coke, withstood 20-plus-foot waves and winds in excess of 90 mph, said Petty Officer Tom Atkeson. A tug boat was en route from Corpus Christi, steering clear of Ike, and expected to reach the ship around noon Saturday.

As of Friday evening, the ship was about 170 miles southeast of Galveston.

“Every time we got a call from them, they were safe,” Atkeson said. “They had electricity the whole time.”

Earlier Friday, the strong winds forced the Coast Guard to abandon a rescue attempt. Five Coast Guard and Air Force aircraft were on their way to the ship when they instead had to land in Lake Charles, La. The winds were in excess of what was considered safe for a rescue, Atkeson said.

The freighter, registered in Cyprus, sent out a radio call for help just after 4 a.m. CDT Friday. The ship lost propulsion and steering but there was no indication that the ship was taking on water, Atkeson said.

The freighter is owned by Perovo Shipping Ltd. The freighter’s operator is Greece-based TEO Shipping Corp., according to Atkeson.

A woman at TEO’s offices in Athens, where it was late Friday night, said company officials were monitoring the situation and were in contact with the crew.

“Everybody is safe on the ship,” said the woman, who declined to give her name. She said the company planned to issue a news release.

Ike’s eye was forecast to strike somewhere near Galveston late Friday, but the massive system was already buffeting Texas and Louisiana.