- A car transporter ship was abandoned after catching fire in the Pacific.
- Morning Midas is carrying over 3,000 cars, including 70 electric vehicles.
- The crew of 22 was saved but they failed to bring the blaze under control.
Update 2: A massive cargo ship still smoldering off the coast of Alaska is proving just how complicated, and stubborn, at-sea fires can be. It’s been just over a week since the cargo vessel Morning Midas caught fire near Alaska. According to the latest photos released by the Coast Guard, the blaze, which appears to have started near the stern, has now ripped through multiple decks and engulfed the entire ship.
Salvage operations are slowly taking shape. The tug Gretchen Dunlap has arrived with salvage crews and begun assessing the damage, with two more vessels expected to join the operation in the next two weeks. Zodiac Maritime, the ship’s manager, has appointed Resolve Marine to lead the recovery. Meanwhile, the 600-foot car carrier continues drifting northeast at approximately 1.8 miles per hour, according to the US Coast Guard.
Aside from the total vehicle count and a general breakdown between gas-powered, electric, and hybrid models, there’s still no confirmation of which automakers had cars aboard. The vessel left China and was headed to Mexico when the fire broke out.
Photos US Coast Guard
“The safety of the public, responders, and vessel crews operating in the area remains our top priority,” said Rear Adm. Megan Dean, commander of the Coast Guard’s Seventeenth District. “We are working closely with Zodiac Maritime to ensure a safe and effective plan to address the fire and mitigate any potential impacts to the environment.”
Update 1: The U.S. Coast Guard has provided additional details about the incident that occurred approximately 300 miles south of Adak, Alaska, on Wednesday. The exact number of vehicles aboard the 600-foot, Liberian-flagged cargo vessel, which is managed by a UK company, has been confirmed at 3,048 total vehicles. Of those, 70 are fully electric vehicles, and 681 are hybrid-electric vehicles.
The Coast Guard also reported that the status of the fire remains uncertain, though smoke is still visibly emanating from the vessel. “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,” said Rear Admiral Megan Dean, commander of the Coast Guard’s Seventeenth District. “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.”
John Halas contributed to this story. Original article follows below.
EV sales might not have caught alight in the way automakers hoped, but news of another shipping fire reminds us that electric cars sure are combustible. The cargo ship was on its way from Asia to North America when a fire broke out forcing the crew to abandon the vessel in the middle of the Pacific ocean, leaving thousands of brand new cars onboard.
Also: The Shipping World Isn’t Ready For The Risk EVs Pose, Here’s Why
The Morning Midas departed China for Mexico on May 26, carrying roughly 3,000 vehicles, including around 800 electric cars. But eight days into its 19-day voyage, just after midnight UTC (7:00 p.m. EST) on June 3, smoke was spotted billowing from one of the decks. UK-based shipowner Zodiac Maritime, which manages the vessel, has since confirmed that the fire originated in the section of the ship carrying electric vehicles.
Firefighting Efforts Failed to Contain the Blaze
“The crew immediately initiated emergency firefighting procedures using the vessel’s onboard fire-suppression systems,” said Zodiac Maritime, the car-carrier’s manager, per Lloyd’s List. “However, despite their efforts, the situation could not be brought under control.”
After contacting the US coast guard the 22-man crew decided to abandon ship, jumping into the lifeboat, after which they were picked up by a nearby merchant ship. With the fire still burning at the time of writing the condition of the thousands of cars still onboard is unknown.
This is far from the first time a boat carrying EVs has caught fire at sea. Three years ago another ship, this one loaded with 4,000 cars, including Porsche, Bentley and Lamborghini models went up in flames in the Atlantic. Attempts were made to tow the Felicity Ace to safety but after burning for two weeks the boat capsized and sank near the Azores.
All 22 crew were also saved on that occasion, but VW Group said the Insurance company was looking at a $155 million bill to replace the lost cars. Lamborghini even restarted production of the discontinued Aventador to replace a customer’s car lost in the accident.
Some shipping companies, such as Norway’s Havila Kystruten, now refuse to carry electric vehicles, judging the risk factor too high. But with EVs set to eventually take over the car market those vehicles are going to have to get from one side of the world somehow, and shipping them is the only realistic method.
We’ll update this story as soon as more details emerge.
