A cargo vessel transporting 3,000 vehicles, including hundreds of electric cars, sank in the North Pacific Ocean this week, nearly three weeks after a massive fire broke out onboard. The ship, Morning Midas, went down in international waters, around 415 miles off the coast of Alaska, after remaining adrift since the incident on June 3.
The 600-foot-long vessel, which was en route from Yantai, China to Lazaro Cardenas in Mexico, had reported a serious fire roughly 300 miles off Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. A distress call had prompted a response by the United States Coast Guard, which rescued all 22 crew members safely.
The ship’s management company, London-based Zodiac Maritime, confirmed the vessel had sunk to a depth of 16,404 feet. It attributed the sinking to a combination of severe structural damage from the flames, adverse weather conditions, and water ingress.
Of the 3,000 cars onboard, some 800 were electric vehicles (EVs), a factor that may have complicated firefighting efforts, although the precise cause of the blaze remains unconfirmed.
Following the sinking, US Coast Guard officer Cameron Snell said there was no immediate “visible pollution”. “We have vessels ready to respond in case any signs of pollution are noticed,” he said.
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Two salvage tugs equipped with pollution control gear have been stationed near the wreck site, and Zodiac Maritime has dispatched an additional pollution response vessel.
The Morning Midas had remained abandoned since the fire was declared uncontrollable by the crew. Despite aerial firefighting efforts and the deployment of a cutter ship, the blaze persisted. Salvage teams had subsequently been sent in the days following the incident, but could not prevent the eventual sinking.
The ship was built in 2006 and sailed under a Liberian flag. It departed China on 26 May and was due to dock in Mexico when the disaster struck.
While there were no casualties, maritime safety analysts have raised concerns over the increasing frequency of fires on car carriers, particularly those transporting EVs. High-voltage lithium-ion batteries pose a greater risk during shipboard fires, often reigniting even after the visible flame is extinguished.
The incident has also brought fresh focus to international protocols on cargo safety, particularly concerning hazardous materials and emerging vehicle technologies.
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