Another EV fire sinks cargo ship with 3,000 cars, highlighting growing EV transport risks

The 600-foot (183-meter) vehicle carrier, Morning Midas, sank on Monday, June 23, in deep international waters off Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, its management company Zodiac Maritime confirmed. The vessel, which was carrying nearly 3,000 new vehicles to Mexico, was disabled by a fire that broke out on June 3. All 22 crew members were safely evacuated by the U.S. Coast Guard and transferred to a nearby merchant ship as the fire grew uncontrollably.

According to a statement from Zodiac Maritime, the ship ultimately succumbed to compounded damage from the initial fire, severe weather, and subsequent water seepage. Smoke was first seen emanating from the deck loaded with the ship's cargo of approximately 750 electric and hybrid vehicles.

It is hauntingly similar to the March 2022 loss of the Felicity Ace, which sank off the Azores with 4,000 luxury vehicles after a fire, and the July 2023 fire aboard the Fremantle Highway in the North Sea. That incident, which involved nearly 500 EVs, prompted the Dutch Safety Board to call for urgent improvements to emergency response protocols for ships carrying electric vehicles.

The core issue lies with the lithium-ion batteries central to EVs. While generally safe, if damaged or defective, they can enter a state of “thermal runaway” — a chemical chain reaction that produces intense heat and flammable, toxic gases. These fires are notoriously difficult to extinguish with traditional shipboard equipment and can burn uncontrollably for days or even weeks.

The U.S. Coast Guard is actively monitoring the Morning Midas site, located about 415 miles (667.88 km) from land in water over 16,404 feet (5 km) deep. “There is no visible pollution,” said Petty Officer Cameron Snell, who also confirmed that salvage and pollution-control vessels remain on scene as a precaution.

As the global auto industry accelerates its transition to electric vehicles, the loss of the Morning Midas serves as a stark reminder of the unresolved safety challenges involved in transporting them across the world's oceans.