A fire continues to burn aboard the Aro/Ro cargo ship Morning Midas, located about 300 miles south of Adak, Alaska, officials from the U.S. Coast Guard reported Wednesday. The vessel is carrying more than 3,000 vehicles, including 70 fully electric cars and 681 hybrid models.
The incident began Tuesday around 3:15 p.m. when watchstanders at the 17th Coast Guard District command center received a distress alert about a fire on one of the decks containing electric vehicles. The Morning Midas is a 600-foot cargo ship flying the Liberian flag and managed by a U.K.-based company, with 22 crew members aboard at the time.
The Coast Guard immediately issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast, requesting assistance from nearby vessels. Three “good Samaritan” ships responded quickly, while the Coast Guard cutter Munro was dispatched to the scene. Additionally, aircrews from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak and Adak launched a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft and an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter to assist.
All 22 crew members safely evacuated the Morning Midas via lifeboat and were rescued by the motor vessel Cosco Hellas, with no injuries reported. Although the exact status of the fire remains unknown, smoke was still visible issuing from the vessel as of the latest reports.
Rear Admiral Megan Dean, commander of the Coast Guard’s 17th District, praised the swift response. “As the search and rescue portion of our response concludes, our crews are working closely with the vessel’s manager, Zodiac Maritime, to determine the disposition of the vessel,” Dean said. “We are grateful for the selfless actions of the three nearby vessels who assisted in the response and the crew of motor vessel Cosco Hellas, who helped save 22 lives.”
The fire has raised renewed concerns over the risks posed by lithium-ion batteries on cargo ships. Similar incidents include the February 2022 fire aboard the Felicity Ace, which burned for 13 days while carrying 4,000 cars from Germany to the U.S. All crew members were evacuated safely in that incident.
More recently, in December 2023, the Panama-flagged cargo ship Genius Star XI faced a fire in its lithium-ion battery cargo while en route from Vietnam to California. The crew extinguished the blaze with carbon dioxide suppressant and diverted the vessel to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, following Coast Guard guidance.
The Morning Midas reportedly carries approximately 350 metric tons of gas fuel and 1,530 metric tons of very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO), in addition to the 3,048 vehicles onboard, including electric and hybrid models. The Coast Guard continues to coordinate with Zodiac Maritime to manage the vessel’s recovery efforts.
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