Morning Midas sinks: What went wrong with cargo ship with 3,000 vehicles onboard? What we know so far

The Morning Midas, a cargo ship delivering nearly 3,000 vehicles to Mexico, caught fire weeks ago and has now sunk near Alaska. According to a Bloomberg News report, the crew abandoned the vessel after an onboard fire they couldn't extinguish, leaving it stranded in the water.

What led to the fire?

Manager Zodiac Maritime told Bloomberg News that smoke was first observed coming from a deck with electrical vehicles. Out of 3,000 vehicles on the ship, about 800 were electric vehicles. The manager added that the damages due to the fire were further escalated because of heavy weather and following water ingress, causing the sinking on 23 June.

“There is no visible pollution,” Petty Officer Cameron Snell, an Alaska-based US Coast Guard spokesperson, told AP. “Right now, we also have vessels on scene to respond to any pollution,” he added.

The ship with 3,000 new vehicles was scheduled to be delivered to a major Pacific port in Mexico. It remains unclear whether the cars were removed before the ship sank.

What happened to the crew members?

The Morning Midas had 22 crew members onboard. They were all evacuated to a lifeboat and were rescued by a nearby merchant vessel. No injuries were reported.

Meanwhile, the salvage crew arrived several days after the fire had damaged the vessel. The company stated that two salvage tugs, equipped with pollution control gear, will remain on site to monitor for any pollution or debris. According to the Associated Press, the crew aboard these ships was unharmed when the Morning Midas sank. As a precautionary measure, the company is also deploying an additional pollution response vessel.

The Coast Guard reported receiving a distress alert on 3 June regarding a fire on the Morning Midas, approximately 300 miles (490 km) southwest of Adak Island.

About Morning Midas

The Morning Midas, a 600-foot (183-meter) car and truck carrier built in 2006, operates under a Liberian flag. It departed Yantai, China, on 26 May, heading to Mexico, AP reported.