The Morning Midas Continues to Burn Off Alaska’s Coast

The car carrier Morning Midas continues to burn off Alaska’s coast as the first of three salvage tugs is expected to arrive on scene today. The vessel has been burning since June 3, when smoke was first detected on a deck carrying electric vehicles during its voyage from Yantai, China to Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico.

According to the latest Coast Guard overflight on Sunday, the vessel remains on fire but is maintaining stability with no signs of pollution in the water. The vessel’s position was confirmed to be approximately 218 miles south of Amatignak Island, roughly 11 miles within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone.

The incident began when the crew detected smoke emanating from a deck carrying electric vehicles. Despite immediate emergency response efforts and activation of onboard fire suppression systems, the fire’s intensity forced all 22 crew members to abandon ship. They were safely evacuated via lifeboat and rescued by the merchant vessel Cosco Hellas, with no injuries reported.

The 600-foot Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC) was carrying 3,159 vehicles, including 65 fully electric vehicles and 681 partial hybrid electric vehicles. The vessel’s fuel stores consist of approximately 350 metric tons of gas fuel and 1,530 metric tons of very low sulfur fuel oil.

Zodiac Maritime, the vessel’s manager, has appointed Resolve Marine to lead salvage operations. Three vessel crews have been mobilized to the area and are scheduled to arrive at different times over the next two weeks. The Coast Guard is working closely with Zodiac Maritime and Resolve Marine, providing expertise to ensure their salvage and safety plans are as effective as possible.

Weather conditions at the scene on Sunday included 10-15 knot winds and 3-to-5 foot seas, though forecasts predict deteriorating conditions with increased winds and seas by Tuesday. The vessel is was drifting east at 1 knot, and the Coast Guard is conducting regular drift analyses in cooperation with NOAA.

The Morning Midas, a Liberian-flagged vessel built in 2006, departed China on May 26 and was originally scheduled to arrive in Mexico on June 15.