The giant cargo ship “Morning Midas” carrying 3,000 Chinese-made cars and electric vehicles sank at around 5:30 p.m. on the 23rd in international waters about 450 miles southwest of Adak Island, Alaska, USA. The ship caught fire on the 3rd, and the thick smoke seemed to come from the deck full of electric vehicles. The 22 crew members on the ship tried to put out the fire but failed, and they abandoned the ship and escaped. No one was injured.
The U.S. Coast Guard said that the “Morning Midas” was operated by Zodiac Maritime, headquartered in London. The ship carried 1,530 tons of very low sulfur fuel oil and 350 tons of marine light diesel. Among the 3,048 cars to be transported on board, there were 70 electric vehicles and 681 hybrid vehicles.
The 600-foot-long “Morning Midas” flies the Liberia flag. It departed from Yantai, Shandong, China on May 26 and was scheduled to arrive at the port of Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico on the 15th. However, a fire broke out in the Pacific Ocean on the 3rd. The 22 crew members abandoned the ship and evacuated in a lifeboat after failing to put out the fire. With the help of the US Coast Guard, they were transferred to a nearby merchant ship.
According to the preliminary investigation by Zodiac Maritime and the US Coast Guard, some crew members found thick smoke billowing from the stern of the ship, which seemed to come from the deck full of electric vehicles.
It is reported that the 3,000 Chinese-made cars on board include products from Chery Automobile, Great Wall Motors and other car manufacturers. It is unclear which brand of electric vehicles the ship caught fire from.
Zodiac Maritime told USA Today on the 25th that after the fire, the ship sank due to bad weather and a large amount of water inflow.
The Coast Guard said that at the site of the ship’s sinking, there are two salvage vessels equipped with pollution response equipment, ready to respond to any potential signs of pollution. There are currently no obvious signs of oil pollution, and the Coast Guard and the shipping company will continue to cooperate to monitor and assess the situation in the area. The oil spill response ship “Endeavour” will also go to the area on the 26th to provide resources such as oil pollution control.
Zodiac Maritime said that the company is working closely with (ship salvage and emergency response company) Resolve Marine and the U.S. Coast Guard, and sincerely thanked them for their professionalism, quick response and continued cooperation.
