US Coast Guard Responding to Fire on Car Carrier ‘Morning Midas’ Off Coast Of Alaska; 800 Electric Vehicles On Board

PHOTOS: Car Carrier ‘Morning Midas’ Catches Fire with Electric Vehicles Off Alaska

The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to a fire on board the 600-foot car carrier Morning Midas carrying hundreds of electric vehicles approximately 300 miles off the coast of Alaska.

The vessel departed from Yantai, China on May 26 with destination Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico where it was expected on June 15. According to shipping database Equasis the 2006 Morning Midas is owned by Hawthorn Navigation Inc. out of London with management by Zodiac Maritime Limited.

Zodiac Maritime has confirmed the vessel is loaded with around 3,000 vehicles, 800 of which are electric vehicles. Smoke was initially seen emanating from a deck carrying electric vehicles, according to the statement.

The Coast Guard is reporting no injuries among the 22 crew, who abandoned ship via lifeboats and transferred to a nearby merchant vessel.

Several container vessels, including the 3,600 TEU Manukai and the 9,469 TEU Cosco Hellas have apparently altered course to assist.

The vessel was previously involved in a pollution event which resulted in a fine for the former owner UK-based Lombard Corporate Finance Limited, by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). The charges go back to an August 2012 collision between a pilot vessel and the car carrier.

The recent rise in electric vehicles equipped with lithium-ion batteries poses a potential fire risk aboard vehicle carriers.

In April car carrier M/V Delphine carrying 110 electric vehicles caught fire in Belgium’s Port of Zeebrugge’s outer harbor. The blaze originated on one of the cargo decks of the vessel.

Morning Midas is capable of carrying around 6,000 motor vehicles.

Zodiac Maritime released the following statement to gCaptain:

Zodiac Maritime has launched an emergency response following reports of smoke emanating from its managed vehicle carrier, Morning Midas (IMO: 9289910).

The incident occurred at around 00:00 UTC on 3 June 2025 in the Pacific Ocean, during the vessel’s passage to Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico.

All crew are safe and accounted for, with no reports of injuries.

The vessel is loaded with around 3000 vehicles, 800 of which are electric vehicles. Smoke was initially seen emanating from a deck carrying electric vehicles.

The crew immediately initiated emergency firefighting procedures using the vessel’s onboard fire suppression systems. However, despite their efforts, the situation could not be brought under control.

In consultation with the United States Coast Guard all 22 crew were safely evacuated via lifeboat and have been transferred to a nearby merchant vessel.

The relevant authorities have been notified, and we are working closely with emergency responders with a tug being deployed to support salvage and firefighting operations.

Our priorities are to ensure the continued safety of the crew and protect the marine environment.

We would like to thank all parties involved for their assistance.

Morning Midas (IMO:9289910) is a Liberian-flagged Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC), built in 2006. She is managed by London headquartered Zodiac Maritime.

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