Fire broke out on a Zodiac Maritime-managed car carrier off Alaska on 3 June. All 22 crewmen on the 2006-built, 4,902 CEU Morning Midas were evacuated after the fire occurred around 11 pm UK time that day.
Morning Midas, which has been chartered by SAIC Anji Logistics, the shipping arm of Chinese carmaker SAIC Motor, since 2023, departed Yantai, China, on 26 May, and was bound for Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico.
In a statement to Container News, UK-based Zodiac Maritime said: “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.”
The seafarers evacuated on lifeboats when the situation could not be controlled; they were then transferred to a passing ship, the 9,469 TEU COSCO Hellas, which plies an Asia-Central America service.
Zodiac Maritime continued: “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.”
The US Coast Guard said a helicopter and a cutter vessel have been dispatched to the scene, while three other ships are assisting.
Vessel-tracking data shows Morning Midas is now 254 nautical miles off Tanaga Bay in the United States. The Liberia-flagged ship is insured by Steamship Mutual.
The incident is the latest in a string of fires on car carriers, many involving the transport of EVs.
On 17 April, a fire broke out in Delphine, a car carrier in CLdN’s fleet. All the crew were evacuated in the incident in Zeebrugge port.
Lithium-ion batteries that power EVs can overheat and cause fires, phenomena known as thermal runaway. Such fires are challenging to extinguish with conventional methods due to the high temperatures and toxic gases.
