Morning Midas cargo ship: EVs behind fire, sinking of 3000 vehicles off Alaska - Here's latest

Morning Midas, a 600-footcargo ship carrying 3,048 vehicles, including 70 fully electric vehicles (EVs) and 681 hybrids, sank in the Pacific Ocean

The Morning Midas, a 600-foot Liberian-flagged cargo ship carrying 3,048 vehicles, including 70 fully electric vehicles (EVs) and 681 hybrids, sank in the Pacific Ocean, southwest of Adak, Alaska, after a fire broke out this week. Managed by Zodiac Maritime, the ship was en route from Yantai, China, to Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico, when the blaze led to the sinking.

Smoke rises from a fire aboard the cargo vessel Morning Midas, carrying around 3,000 vehicles, including 800 electric vehicles (via REUTERS)

“There is no visible pollution,” Petty Officer Cameron Snell, an Alaska-based US Coast Guard spokesperson said, as per the Associated Press. "Right now we also have vessels on scene to respond to any pollution.”

What caused the Morning Midas cargo ship fire?

The fire originated on a deck carrying EVs, with smoke first spotted around midnight UTC. Zodiac Maritime confirmed the blaze began in the EV section, suggesting lithium-ion battery ignition as a likely trigger, though the exact cause remains under investigation.

Lithium-ion batteries, used in EVs, can overheat or short-circuit if damaged, producing intense fires that are difficult to extinguish. The ship’s CO2 fire suppression system failed after exhausting its supply, as lithium-ion fires require vast amounts of water—up to 10,000 gallons per vehicle. Sean DeCrane of the International Association of Fire Fighters noted the fire’s behavior as “consistent with known EV ignition patterns,” particularly with ineffective CO2 systems. No specific brand has been linked to the ignition, and Great Wall confirmed its 140 vehicles were not EVs and were on a different deck.

Sinking of the Morning Midas

The fire burned for weeks, spreading across multiple decks, as seen in US Coast Guard photos. This week, the combination of fire damage and severe weather caused the ship to sink in 5,000-meter-deep waters, according to reports. The vessel carried 350 metric tons of gas fuel and 1,530 metric tons of very low-sulfur fuel oil.

The Morning Midas carried 3,048 vehicles, with 70 EVs and 681 hybrids, likely including models from Chinese manufacturers like Chery and SAIC. There were about 22 crew members on board. No reports of injuries have emerged so far.