A cargo vessel transporting thousands of new vehicles to Mexico has sunk in the North Pacific Ocean, several weeks after a fire forced its crew to abandon ship.
The Morning Midas, a 600-foot car carrier operating under the Liberian flag, went down in international waters off Alaska’s Aleutian Islands on Monday, according to a statement from the vessel’s management company, Zodiac Maritime, based in London.
The fire broke out on June 3 when the ship was approximately 300 miles southwest of Adak Island. Initial reports from the U.S. Coast Guard indicated that thick smoke was seen rising from the rear deck, which held electric and hybrid vehicles—including around 70 fully electric and 680 hybrid cars among its total cargo of about 3,000 vehicles.
The 22 crew members aboard successfully evacuated via lifeboat and were rescued by a nearby merchant vessel. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Following the blaze, the vessel became incapacitated and drifted at sea. Salvage teams later arrived, but worsening weather conditions and continued water ingress severely damaged the vessel’s structural integrity.
The Morning Midas ultimately sank on June 24 in waters approximately 415 miles from land and over 16,000 feet deep, Zodiac Maritime confirmed.
At the time of its sinking, the ship was carrying approximately 350 metric tons of marine gas oil and 1,530 metric tons of very low sulfur fuel oil, raising concerns about environmental risk.
However, no visible pollution has been detected so far, said Petty Officer Cameron Snell, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard in Alaska.
To manage any potential environmental impact, two salvage tugs equipped with pollution control gear remain on-site. In addition, Zodiac Maritime is dispatching a third specialized vessel to strengthen the response efforts.
Coast Guard officials emphasized that crew safety and environmental protection remain top priorities.
The Morning Midas, which departed Yantai, China on May 26, was en route to a major Pacific port in Mexico. It remains unclear whether any of the vehicles were salvaged before the ship went down.
This incident follows broader safety concerns regarding EV cargo transport by sea. A Dutch safety board recently called for improved emergency procedures after a similar blaze aboard a vehicle carrier in 2023.
