A cargo ship carrying around 3,000 vehicles—including 800 electric ones—caught fire and had to be abandoned in the middle of the ocean near Alaska. The crew onboard had no choice but to leave the ship after trying and failing to put out the flames.
The shipping company, Zodiac Maritime, confirmed the incident and said that all 22 crew members made it out safely. They left the ship using lifeboats and were picked up by a nearby merchant vessel with help from the U.S. Coast Guard.
Where It Happened and What Went Wrong
The ship, named Morning Midas, was about 300 miles southwest of Adak, Alaska, when the fire broke out. Smoke was first seen rising from the deck where the electric vehicles were stored.
At this point, it’s not clear what brand or type of vehicles were on board. The fire’s cause is still unknown.
The Morning Midas had left Yantai, China, on May 26 and was headed to Lazaro Cardenas in Mexico, according to tracking data.
Help Is on the Way
The U.S. Coast Guard acted quickly. They sent both air and sea teams to the scene. Three vessels are already there, and more support is expected as efforts to manage the fire and salvage the ship continue.
Officials are now working on how to recover the ship without making the situation worse.
Why These Fires Worry the Shipping Industry
Ship fires like this one are becoming a serious problem, especially on large car carriers and container ships. According to Allianz Commercial, 2024 saw the highest number of vessel fires in the last 10 years.
In its recent safety report for 2025, Allianz pointed out that the growing size of ships and the difficulty of putting out fires onboard make these incidents even more dangerous.
Insurers, including Steamship Mutual—one of the ship’s insurers—are keeping a close eye on situations like this. However, they haven’t yet commented on this particular case.
Adapted for www.shiportrade.com.
News originally published by The Straits Times.
