A major maritime emergency is unfolding in the North Pacific after a cargo ship loaded with over 3,000 vehicles—including hundreds of electric and hybrid cars—was abandoned by its crew following an uncontrollable fire. The vessel, named Morning Midas, remains adrift and ablaze approximately 300 miles south of Adak Island, Alaska, as salvage teams mobilize to address the ongoing disaster123678.
Incident Details
The Morning Midas, a 600-foot Liberian-flagged car and truck carrier built in 2006, departed Yantai, China, on May 26, bound for Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico. On Tuesday, June 3, at around midnight, crew members detected smoke rising from the deck area where electric vehicles (EVs) were stored. The ship was carrying about 3,048 vehicles in total, including roughly 70 fully electric and 681 hybrid-electric cars, according to updated figures from the U.S. Coast Guard2611.
Despite immediate efforts to fight the fire using the vessel’s onboard suppression systems, the blaze quickly intensified, likely fueled by the lithium-ion batteries in the EVs—a known challenge for maritime firefighting due to their tendency to reignite and burn at extremely high temperatures1611. Realizing the situation was beyond control, the 22-member crew issued a distress call and abandoned ship, taking to a life raft. They were rescued by the nearby merchant vessel Cosco Hellas, with no injuries reported among the crew237811.
Ongoing Response and Environmental Concerns
As of Friday, June 6, the Morning Midas remained afloat but continued to emit heavy smoke, with the full extent of the fire’s damage still unknown12678. Satellite-linked monitoring systems are being used to track the vessel’s status while a salvage team, equipped with specialized firefighting and towing equipment, is expected to arrive at the scene early next week2.
The ship is estimated to be carrying approximately 350 metric tons of gas oil and 1,530 metric tons of very low sulfur fuel oil, raising concerns about potential environmental hazards should the hull be breached or the fire spread to the fuel tanks11. Zodiac Maritime, the vessel’s UK-based management company, has appointed Resolve Marine to lead the salvage and firefighting operation12.
Industry Implications
The incident has reignited concerns about the risks posed by transporting large numbers of electric vehicles at sea. Lithium-ion battery fires are notoriously difficult to suppress, and recent maritime disasters involving EVs have prompted calls for improved emergency protocols and firefighting capabilities on car carriers178. A similar fire in 2023 on a freighter carrying electric vehicles resulted in fatalities and a week-long blaze, underscoring the dangers faced by crews and responders278.
Official Statements
Rear Admiral Megan Dean of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Seventeenth District commended the swift action of the crew and the rescuers:
“We are grateful for the selfless actions of the three nearby vessels who assisted in the response and the crew of motor vessel Cosco Hellas, who helped save 22 lives. As the search and rescue portion of our response concludes, our crews are working closely with the vessel’s manager, Zodiac Maritime, to determine the disposition of the vessel.”1267811
Authorities and salvage experts continue to monitor the situation closely, with the fate of the Morning Midas and its cargo hanging in the balance as the fire persists in one of the world’s most remote maritime regions.
