A cargo ship that caught fire earlier this month in the Pacific Ocean has sunk, according to its managing company.
The Morning Midas, a 600-foot (183-meter) car and truck carrier, was transporting approximately 3,000 vehicles — including around 800 electric vehicles — when it caught fire on June 3 near Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.
The fire began on a deck carrying electric vehicles, which contain lithium-ion batteries. These batteries are typically safe but can overheat and ignite if damaged.
Unable to control the blaze, the crew abandoned ship and evacuated safely via a lifeboat. All 22 crew members were later rescued by a passing private vessel.
Photos released by the U.S. Coast Guard showed thick smoke billowing from the ship’s stern, prompting an emergency response that included aerial crews and a Coast Guard vessel dispatched to the scene.
In a statement, Zodiac Maritime, the ship’s manager, confirmed that Morning Midas sank on June 23 at approximately 16:35 local time (UTC -9).
The vessel went down in waters about 5,000 meters deep and 360 nautical miles from land. The company said that heavy weather worsened the situation, allowing water to enter the fire-damaged vessel and ultimately causing it to sink.
“The damage caused by the fire, compounded by heavy weather and subsequent water ingress, led to the sinking of the Morning Midas,” Zodiac Maritime said.
The Morning Midas, built in 2006 and sailing under the Liberian flag, had departed Yantai, China, on May 26. It was en route to the port of Lázaro Cárdenas in Mexico.
Authorities were notified of the incident, and emergency responders were involved in firefighting and salvage operations before the vessel sank.
