According to media outlets such as Associated Press and Bloomberg, the international ship management company Zodiac Maritime issued a statement on June 24 local time, stating that its roll-on/roll-off car carrier "Morning Midas" sank in international waters near the Aleutian Islands of Alaska on June 23 due to flooding caused by a fire.

The statement also said that factors such as the fire, bad weather, and hull leakage led to the sinking of the "Morning Midas" in an area about 5,000 meters deep, approximately 770 kilometers from the mainland. Bloomberg pointed out that this condition makes rescue and salvage operations more difficult.

A U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson in Alaska stated on the 24th that no visible pollution was found near the area where the vessel sank, "currently, there are ships on site that can handle any pollution."

June 3, 2025, smoke rising from the "Morning Midas", U.S. Coast Guard photo

It is understood that the vessel left Yantai Port on May 26, originally scheduled to arrive at Lázaro Cárdenas Port in Mexico on June 15. The company previously reported that a fire broke out on the deck of the "Morning Midas", and the crew initially tried to use the ship's fire suppression system to deal with it, but the fire could not be controlled. Subsequently, 22 crew members were forced to abandon the ship. After coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard, all 22 crew members safely evacuated via lifeboats and were transferred to a nearby merchant ship. Since June 3, the involved vessel has been drifting in the North Pacific.

It is known that the "Morning Midas" is a dedicated car carrier, 183 meters long, with a gross tonnage of 46,800 tons, built by Xiamen Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Group in China in 2006, and flying the flag of Liberia at the time of the incident. The ship was carrying approximately 3,000 cars, including about 70 electric vehicles and about 680 hybrid vehicles. According to informed sources who spoke to Bloomberg, the ship carried cars from several Chinese manufacturers, including Chery and Great Wall. It is currently unclear whether the cars on board have been moved.

Notably, the exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but Zodiac Maritime stated that when the accident first occurred, they initially saw smoke coming from the deck where electric vehicles were parked.

Observatory Network noted that this is not the first occurrence of such an accident. In 2023, the "Fremantle Highway", which was carrying 3,000 cars, including nearly 500 electric vehicles, caught a serious fire while sailing from Germany to Singapore. The fire lasted for a week, causing one death and multiple injuries.

In February 2022, the "Felicity Ace" caught fire in the North Atlantic, carrying new cars from Volkswagen Group, including 3,965 vehicles, such as 1,100 Porsches, 189 Bentleys, and models such as Audi, Lamborghini, and Volkswagen ID.4. The Portuguese Navy at the time believed that lithium batteries in electric vehicles on board triggered the fire.

Bloomberg cited a report from the global insurance giant Allianz, which pointed out that with the increasing demand for lithium-ion batteries (including those used in electric vehicles), the global shipping industry is facing new risks, especially considering the huge value of the vehicles carried on the largest car carriers.

This article is an exclusive contribution from Observatory Network. Without permission, it cannot be reprinted.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7519755879869104666/

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