The U.S. Coast Guard Coordinates Response Efforts for Morning Midas Fire

The U.S. Coast Guard is coordinating response efforts after a fire broke out aboard the vehicle carrier Morning Midas approximately 300 miles south of Adak, Alaska.

The response began when watchstanders at the Seventeenth Coast Guard District command center received a distress alert Tuesday at approximately 3:15 p.m. The Morning Midas, a 600-foot pure car and truck carrier (PCTC), was carrying several thousand vehicles at the time of the incident, including hundreds of fully-electric and partial hybrid electric vehicles.

The Coast Guard immediately issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast, resulting in three good Samaritan vessels responding to the scene. The Coast Guard also mobilized multiple assets, including the Coast Guard Cutter Munro, a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft from Air Station Kodiak, and positioned an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter in Adak.

All 22 crew members successfully evacuated the vessel via life raft and were rescued by the M/V Cosco Hellas, one of the responding good Samaritan vessels. No injuries were reported.

According to the Coast Guard, the vessel is estimated to be carrying approximately 350 metric tons of gas fuel and 1,530 metric tons of very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO). Its cargo consists of 3,159 vehicles, including 65 fully electric vehicles and 681 partial hybrid electric vehicles, based on reports the Coast Guard has received.

The ship’s UK-based manager previously reported 800 electric vehicles on board.

The increasing prevalence of electric vehicles with lithium-ion batteries creates a heightened fire risk on vehicle carriers.

According to Zodiac Maritime, the incident began around 00:00 UTC on June 3, 2025, during the vessel’s passage from Yantai, China to Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico. The ship departed China on May 26 and was expected to arrive in Mexico on June 15.

The company reported that smoke was initially observed emanating from a deck carrying electric vehicles. Despite the crew’s immediate deployment of onboard fire suppression systems, they were unable to bring the situation under control.

The Morning Midas, built in 2006, is a Liberian-flagged Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC) managed by London-headquartered Zodiac Maritime. Salvage operations are currently underway, with a tug being deployed to support firefighting operations.

Rear Admiral Megan Dean, commander of the Coast Guard’s Seventeenth District, stated, “As the search and rescue portion of our response concludes, our crews are working closely with the vessel’s parent company, Zodiac Maritime, to determine the disposition of the vessel.”

The status of the fire remains unknown, though smoke continues to emanate from the vessel. The Coast Guard and Zodiac Maritime are coordinating recovery efforts, with the company stating their priorities are ensuring crew safety and protecting the marine environment.

This incident follows other notable car carrier fires, including the Fremantle Highway (2023), Felicity Ace (2022), and Sincerity Ace (2018). In each case, the fires burned for several days—with the Fremantle Highway and Sincerity Ace remaining afloat afterward, while the Felicity Ace eventually sank from fire damage.