Down Goes the Ship: Burning Car Carrier Sinks Off Alaskan Coast

The Morning Midas, a 600-foot car carrier that had been burning at sea for nearly three weeks, has sunk in the North Pacific Ocean, according to an update from salvage operator Resolve Marine.

The vessel finally went down at approximately 4:35 pm local time on June 23, in international waters about 360 nautical miles from the nearest landmass, Adak. The water at the site is over 5,000 meters deep. The ship’s final moments followed weeks of firefighting efforts and worsening conditions that ultimately led to progressive flooding and structural failure, officials said.

The fire aboard the Morning Midas began on June 3, while the vessel was en route from Yantai, China, to Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico. Smoke was first detected coming from a deck carrying electric vehicles. Despite the crew’s efforts to activate onboard suppression systems and emergency firefighting protocols, the blaze intensified rapidly. All 22 crew members were forced to abandon ship and were rescued unharmed by a merchant vessel.

Built in 2006 and sailing under a Liberian flag, the Morning Midas was transporting 3,159 vehicles when the fire broke out, including 65 fully electric vehicles and 681 hybrid electric vehicles. The ship was also carrying approximately 350 metric tons of gas fuel and 1,530 metric tons of other fuel oil, the Coast Guard said.