Electric Vehicle Blaze Forces Evacuation of Cargo Ship Off Alaska

A cargo ship transporting approximately 3,000 vehicles, including 800 electric models, was abandoned in the North Pacific Ocean after a fire erupted on board, compelling all 22 crew members to evacuate.

The vessel, identified as the Morning Midas, was en route from Yantai, China, to Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico, when the incident occurred about 300 miles southwest of Adak Island, Alaska. Smoke was first observed emanating from a deck housing electric vehicles. Despite deploying the ship’s CO₂ fire suppression system, the crew was unable to contain the blaze, leading to a complete evacuation via lifeboat. All crew members were safely rescued by the nearby merchant vessel Cosco Hellas.

The Morning Midas, a 600-foot-long Pure Car and Truck Carrier built in 2006 and flagged under Liberia, is managed by London-based Zodiac Maritime. The company is coordinating with emergency responders and has dispatched a tugboat to assist with salvage and firefighting operations. The U.S. Coast Guard has also deployed air and sea resources to monitor the situation and support recovery efforts.

The fire’s origin remains under investigation, but initial reports suggest it began in the section of the ship carrying electric vehicles. Lithium-ion batteries, commonly used in EVs, are known to pose significant fire risks due to their flammable electrolyte and potential for thermal runaway. Once ignited, these batteries can be challenging to extinguish, often requiring large volumes of water and specialized firefighting techniques.

This incident underscores growing concerns within the maritime industry regarding the transportation of electric vehicles. The increasing prevalence of EVs has introduced new safety challenges for cargo ships, particularly concerning fire hazards associated with lithium-ion batteries. Traditional fire suppression systems, like CO₂, may be insufficient to manage such fires, prompting calls for updated safety protocols and equipment.

The Morning Midas fire is the latest in a series of maritime incidents involving electric vehicles. In 2022, the Felicity Ace, a cargo ship carrying nearly 4,000 vehicles, including numerous EVs, caught fire in the Atlantic Ocean and eventually sank. Investigations suggested that a lithium-ion battery may have been the fire’s source. Similarly, in 2023, the Fremantle Highway experienced a fire off the Dutch coast while transporting 3,783 vehicles, including 498 electric cars. Although the cause was later determined not to be related to the EVs, the incident highlighted the complexities of managing fires on ships carrying such cargo.