Smoke still seen rising from abandoned car carrier

The 4,902 ceu car carrier Morning Midas, abandoned in the mid-Pacific after a fire broke out on a deck carrying electric vehicles, is now adrift with smoke still rising from the vessel.

The manager of the vessel, London-based Zodiac Maritime, said that the incident occurred at around midnight local time on June 3 during the vessel’s voyage from Mexico to Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico. The vessel is chartered to China’s SAIC Anji Logistics.

The 2006-built car carrier was loaded with 3,159 vehicles, among them 65 fully electric and 681 hybrid-electric vehicles.

The crew’s firefighting attempts were not able to bring the situation under control, so they were forced to abandon ship. The 2006-built, 9,469 teu containership Cosco Hellas rescued all 22 crew members from a life raft launched by the car carrier. All members of the crew are safe, accounted for, and uninjured.

The Coast Guard said that the vessel was carrying approximately 350 tonnes of gas fuel and 1,530 tonnes of very low-sulphur fuel oil.

The Coast Guard Cutter Munro was diverted to the scene, as well as a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, while an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter aircrew was staged in Adak to help with the response.

The status of the fire aboard the car carrier is currently unclear, however, smoke continues to be seen rising from the vessel.

Due to the possible environmental risks from the fuel and vehicle cargo aboard the drifting vessel, the Coast Guard will continue monitoring the situation.

Transporting electric vehicles has been a concern for some time now, as several car carriers which were transporting EVs caught fire in the last several years, most recently the Freemantle Highway in 2023. The fire can last for days due to temperatures of over 2,700 degrees Celsius generated by on fire lithium-ion batteries.