Stranded at Sea: 3,000 Vehicles Left Behind as Cargo Ship Faces Blaze off Alaska's Coast

image Credits: USCG
A recent report from the U.S. Coast Guard highlights a dramatic incident involving the cargo ship Morning Midas, which was left adrift in the pacific Ocean after a fire broke out onboard. This vessel was transporting over 3,000 vehicles, including numerous electric and hybrid models.

Fortunately, all 22 crew members were rescued without any injuries reported. The Morning Midas was en route from Yantai, China to Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico when flames erupted on Tuesday afternoon, june 3rd. At that time, it was approximately 300 miles south of Adak Island in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and about 1,200 miles away from Anchorage.

According to Zodiac Maritime—based in London and responsible for managing the ship—the fire originated near the stern where electric vehicles were stored. The Morning Midas is a sizable vessel at 600 feet long and built in 2006 under a Liberian flag; it carried a total of 3,048 vehicles including around 70 fully electric cars and an additional 681 hybrid models. Initial estimates had suggested there were nearly double that number of EVs onboard.

The crew promptly activated the CO₂-based fire suppression system; however,officials noted that once this system depleted its resources,the flames reignited. With no way to control the blaze effectively anymore, they abandoned ship using lifeboats.

The U.S. coast Guard received an emergency alert around 3:15 p.m., prompting them to issue an urgent Marine Facts Broadcast seeking assistance from nearby vessels. Three commercial ships responded swiftly; notably among them was Cosco Hellas—a malta-registered containership—which successfully rescued all crew members who are reportedly safe.

In addition to these efforts on water, the Coast Guard deployed Cutter Munro along with air support including a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft from Kodiak and an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter team stationed at Adak for potential aerial assistance.

By Wednesday morning (June 4),smoke continued billowing from morning Midas as it remained ablaze at sea while carrying approximately 1,530 metric tons of very low-sulfur fuel oil alongside another estimated 350 metric tons of gas fuel.

A fire safety expert associated with the International Association of Fire Fighters indicated that given how quickly CO₂ systems failed here suggests that this incident likely stemmed from issues related to lithium-ion batteries found in electric vehicles—a known challenge since such fires can be notoriously difficult to extinguish due to their resistance against conventional firefighting methods like foam or even water itself.

As a notable example—according to insights shared by Florida-based investigators—it may require up to an astonishingly high volume of water (around ten thousand gallons) just for one EV battery fire alone! Using such quantities aboard ships poses critically important risks as well as excessive water could possibly sink them before extinguishing flames fully.

Experts also warn about chain reactions where one EV battery igniting can lead others into combustion too easily—compounding dangers further still if seawater is used due its corrosive nature which might damage equipment leading back into short circuits again!

Currently coordinating with Zodiac Maritime regarding salvage operations is ongoing as tugboats have been dispatched for both firefighting measures and recovery efforts surrounding this damaged vessel situation.
Rear Admiral Megan Dean—the commander overseeing Coast Guard’s Seventeenth District—expressed gratitude towards merchant vessels nearby who stepped up during this crisis while commending their rescue actions taken promptly under pressure!

Interestingly enough records show prior concerns regarding safety protocols aboard Morning Midas during inspections conducted back in October last year at Bremerhaven port but no detainment occurred then; however later checks by U.S authorities revealed no issues found during January inspections held earlier this year within Portland area either!

This isn’t entirely unprecedented either—as seen previously when another cargo ship caught flame amidst luxury vehicle transport across Atlantic waters or more recently earlier this year when tragedy struck resulting fatalities alongside injuries stemming directly out vehicle carrier incidents involving thousands more cars inclusive several hundred being electrics too!

Insurers along with industry experts continue raising alarms over challenges posed by lithium-ion battery fires especially concerning maritime environments where large numbers are transported simultaneously!

Reference: USCG