FireWatch: World Updates

June 25, 2025 - The cargo ship Morning Midas, which had been transporting approximately 3,000 new vehicles to Mexico, sank in the North Pacific Ocean on Monday. This incident occurred after the crew abandoned the ship due to an uncontrollable onboard fire that left the vessel incapacitated.

The ship sank in international waters off Alaska's Aleutian Islands chain, as confirmed by Zodiac Maritime, the London-based management company overseeing the vessel.

The Morning Midas was carrying 350 metric tons of marine gas oil and 1,530 metric tons of very low sulfur fuel oil. The fire damage, compounded by adverse weather conditions and water seepage, led to the ship sinking in waters approximately 16,400 feet deep and about 415 miles from land.

The ship's cargo included around 3,000 new electric vehicles destined for a major Pacific port in Mexico. It remains unclear if any of the vehicles were salvaged before the ship sank, and Zodiac Maritime has not yet responded to inquiries.

Following the fire, a salvage crew arrived to assess the situation. Two salvage tugs equipped with pollution control gear will stay on site to monitor for any signs of pollution or debris. Fortunately, the crew members of these tugs were unharmed when the Morning Midas sank.

Captain Christopher Culpepper, commander of Coast Guard Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic, emphasized the priority of responder safety, stating, "We're working closely with Zodiac Maritime in an advisory capacity to ensure a swift and effective response to any potential signs of pollution." Zodiac Maritime is also dispatching another specialized pollution response vessel to the location as a precaution.

The Coast Guard received a distress alert on June 3 regarding the fire aboard the Morning Midas, which was then about 300 miles southwest of Adak Island. All 22 crew members evacuated to a lifeboat and were rescued by a nearby merchant marine vessel, with no reported injuries.

Among the cargo were approximately 70 fully electric and 680 hybrid vehicles. Initially, a large plume of smoke was observed at the ship's stern, emanating from the deck loaded with electric vehicles.

This incident echoes a recent report by a Dutch safety board, which called for improved emergency response on North Sea shipping routes following a deadly 2023 fire aboard a freighter carrying 3,000 automobiles, including nearly 500 electric vehicles, from Germany to Singapore. That fire resulted in one fatality and several injuries, with the ship eventually being towed to a Netherlands port for salvage.