Morning Midas disaster: Cargo ship with 3,000 vehicles sinks off Alaska coast; sparks pollution concerns

A cargo ship transporting nearly 3,000 vehicles to Mexico sank in the North Pacific Ocean on Monday, weeks after a fire forced its crew to abandon the vessel.

The ship, named Morning Midas , went down in international waters off Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, according to a statement from the vessel’s management company, London-based Zodiac Maritime .

The fire broke out on June 3, when the Morning Midas was about 300 miles southwest of Adak Island. The blaze burned out of control for days, ultimately disabling the 600-foot ship, which was built in 2006 and sailed under a Liberian flag, reported the Seattle Times.

All 22 crew members evacuated safely to a lifeboat and were rescued by a nearby merchant marine ship. No injuries were reported during the evacuation.

Despite efforts to contain the damage, worsening weather and water seepage contributed to the ship's sinking in waters approximately 16,400 feet deep and about 415 miles from land.

The ship had departed from Yantai, China, on May 26 and was headed to a major Pacific port in Mexico. It was carrying around 3,000 new vehicles, including about 70 electric and 680 hybrid models. A plume of smoke had been observed coming from the ship’s stern, reportedly from the area where electric vehicles were stored.

While it remains unclear whether any of the vehicles were salvaged before the sinking, Zodiac Maritime confirmed that two salvage tugs equipped with pollution control gear remain on-site to monitor for environmental risks. The company is also dispatching a specialized pollution response vessel as a precaution.

According to the US Coast Guard, no visible pollution has been detected so far. Right now we also have vessels on scene to respond to any pollution,” said Petty Officer Cameron Snell, based in Alaska.

The incident follows growing global concerns about fire safety on ships carrying electric vehicles. A recent Dutch safety board report called for improved emergency response on North Sea routes after a similar fire in 2023 on a freighter transporting cars from Germany to Singapore.