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A rescue team is heading toward a cargo ship, which was abandoned in the Pacific Ocean after catching fire earlier this week near Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. The ship was transporting nearly 3,000 vehicles.
The Morning Midas, stretching 600 feet in length, is currently drifting around 300 miles southwest of Adak Island. The US Coast Guard is using satellite technology to keep a close eye on the ship.
Photos show the vessel emitting smoke even though it is located hundreds of miles away from the nearest shore, days after the emergency signal was given. Large smoke plumes are seen rising into the air.
Incredibly, all 22 crew members were safely evacuated onto a lifeboat on Tuesday afternoon and later rescued by a nearby merchant vessel.
They remained aboard the rescue ship as of Thursday, the vessel’s management company, London-based Zodiac Maritime, said.
The fire was first reported around 3:15pm on Tuesday as the ship was transporting an around 70 high-powered fully electric vehicles and about 680 hybrids, in addition to a broader cargo of vehicles bound for a major Pacific port in Mexico.
The ship had departed Yantai, China, on May 26. The Coast Guard noted that the vehicle figures remain preliminary as the situation develops.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation but lithium-ion batteries, widely used in electric vehicles, are known to present firefighting challenges due to their high combustibility once ignited.
Smoke rises from a fire aboard the cargo vessel Morning Midas, carrying around 3,000 cars, including 800 electric vehicles, as seen in an aerial photo taken from a US Coast Guard plane
Incredibly, all 22 crew members were safely evacuated onto a lifeboat on Tuesday afternoon and later rescued by a nearby merchant vessel
Lithium fires burn hot, long, and are notoriously difficult to extinguish.
A tugboat carrying salvage specialists and firefighting equipment is expected to reach the Morning Midas early next week, Zodiac Maritime said.
A second tug, with enhanced ocean towage capabilities, is also being arranged to assist with the operation.
For now, officials are relying on the adrift ship’s satellite systems to track its condition remotely.
The Morning Midas was built in 2006 and is registered under a Liberian flag.
Environmental concerns are being closely monitored. Experts warn that if the fire spreads to fuel tanks or causes structural failure, the vessel could leak toxic chemicals or even sink, creating a long-term environmental hazard.
Fires involving electric vehicles can present unique hazards if not contained, raising the risk of structural compromise or hazardous material being released into the ocean.
The cargo vessel Morning Midas is drifting approximately 300 miles south of Adak, Alaska
The 22 strong crew of the cargo ship carrying about 3,000 vehicles to Mexico were forced to abandoned ship after they could not control a fire that broke out on board
The incident has drawn comparisons to a 2023 fire aboard another car carrier, which was transporting around 3,000 vehicles, including nearly 500 electric cars, from Germany to Singapore.
That fire burned for a week, resulting in one death and multiple injuries, before the ship was eventually towed to port in the Netherlands.
Following that incident, Dutch safety authorities called for improvements in emergency response protocols for ships carrying electric vehicles.
