The cargo ship Morning Midas, carrying around 3,000 new vehicles destined for a Pacific port in Mexico, sank Monday in the North Pacific Ocean near Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, according to Zodiac Maritime, the ship’s London-based management company. The vessel had been dead in the water for weeks after a fire onboard forced the 22 crew members to abandon ship safely, reported AP.
The sinking occurred in international waters about 415 miles from land and 16,404 feet deep, worsened by fire damage, bad weather, and water ingress. A U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson confirmed there was no visible pollution, with vessels on-site to monitor any potential environmental impact.
Among the cargo were approximately 70 fully electric and 680 hybrid vehicles, with smoke initially seen coming from the deck carrying the electric cars. Rescue efforts had safely evacuated all crew to a nearby vessel after the fire started on June 3, roughly 300 miles southwest of Adak Island, Alaska.
Zodiac Maritime said it has deployed salvage teams and pollution control vessels to the site and is sending additional specialized response ships as a precaution. The 600-foot Morning Midas, sailing under a Liberian flag, left Yantai, China, on May 26. This incident follows a recent safety call by a Dutch board urging improved emergency response after a deadly 2023 fire on a similar vehicle carrier in the North Sea, which resulted in one fatality and extensive damage.
