A cargo vessel carrying about 3,000 vehicles, of which 800 are electric vehicles (EVs), was involved in a fire in the North Pacific Ocean, forcing the evacuation of the entire 22-member crew.
It was about 300 miles off the coast of Adak Island, Alaska, while traveling from Yantai, China, to Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico.
M/V Morning Midas on fire and abandoned in the Pacific Ocean off Alaska with electric vehicles. As we have learned from past incidents, the fire will likely to burn for several days and its possible the ship could potentially sink as a result pic.twitter.com/UBxD7bwq4b
— Mike Schuler (@MikeSchuler) June 4, 2025
The fire occurred on board the Morning Midas, which is a 600-foot roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) freight ship constructed in 2006 and registered under Liberia. Smoke was first seen coming from the ship’s stern, which had electric vehicles loaded on board.
The fire could not be contained by the crew, even when they tried to do so with the fire-suppressing COâ‚‚ system on board, and hence the crew had to be evacuated. They were rescued safely by the merchant ship Cosco Hellas, which was nearby. Source Reuters
The US Coast Guard responded with air and maritime aid and is presently working with the company managing the ship to decide on the recovery of the vessel. A tug has been sent in to assist salvage and fire-fighting efforts.
The incident highlights the difficulty of shipping electric vehicles, specifically relating to the danger posed by lithium-ion batteries.
The batteries are highly inflammable and are very difficult to put out once alight, and large quantities of water are usually needed to douse them. The cause of the fire is unknown, as it is under investigation, but the fact that electric vehicles were on board has caused concerns regarding maritime safety procedures when carrying such freight.
The Morning Midas fire contributes to a line of maritime accidents related to electric vehicles, which underscores the need to develop greater safety protocols and emergency response plans in the shipping industry. Read more about the incident in USA Today here– https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2025/06/04/ship-cars-abandoned-fire-evs/84030266007/
