Cargo Ship Carrying 3,000 Vehicles Sinks in Pacific After Fire

A cargo ship called Morning Midas, had around 3,000 new vehicles destined for Mexico, sank in the North Pacific, near Alaska. The ship had previously caught fire weeks before and was deemed unsalvagable.

The fire happened on June 3 while the ship was approximately 300 miles southwest of Adak Island, Alaska. The fire was significant, all 22 crew members had to evacuate into a lifeboat and were rescued successfully by a nearby merchant vessel.

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No one was harmed in the fire or evacuation. The ship rendered disabled by fire, remained adrift in the North Pacific ocean until it was reached by salvage crew many days later. On Monday the ship sunk in deep international waters, around 415 miles from land in the Alaska's Aleutian's.

The dive can be as deep around 16,400 feet which will make the recovery effort difficult. The ship ultimately sank after a mixture of fire damage and subsequent bad weather and a water ingress to the vessel. The ship also was carrying approximately 70 fully electric vehicles as well as 680 hybrid vehicles, all of which would have been at risk in the fire supposedly, as per CBS news report.

On May 26, the vessel departed from Yantai, China, on its way to Mexico. Morning Midas is 600 feet long, built-in 2006, and flying the Liberian Flag. The Morning Midas was loaded with fuel, with approximately 350 metric tons of marine gas oil and 1,530 metric tons of very low sulfur fuel oil.

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The fuel on board gives the U.S. Coast Guard concern about pollution, but they have yet to see any pollution, and the ship's are nearing the area in case of a spill. Two salvage tug ferries equipped with oil and pollutant control devices are standing by to monitor for pollution and debris. The crews of these tow ships were safe, CBS News reported.

They are also tracking a special pollution response ship, just to be on the safe side. Captain Christopher Culpepper of the U.S. Coast Guard said the priority is safety and they are working closely with Zodiac, and will take any needed pollution response measures quickly.

A similar event occurred in 2023, where a fire occurred on another ship carrying 3,000 cars, of which 500 were EVs, and burned for a week. One fatality resulted from that fire. The Dutch safety board is now looking for improvements for emergency plans for ships with electric vehicles, according to CBS News.

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