A cargo ship that caught fire earlier this month while carrying thousands of vehicles has sunk, carrying a load of potentially toxic components to the ocean floor.
The Morning Midas caught fire June 3, about 300 miles south of Adak, Alaska.
It carried 3,048 vehicles, including 70 electric vehicles and 681 hybrids.
Additionally, 350 metric tons of marine gas oil and 1,530 metric tons of very-low-sulfur fuel oil were also on board.
The crew of 22 was evacuated shortly after the fire began.
Marine Link reported Monday that the ship had sunk in water about 16,000 feet deep “while awaiting the arrival of a tug with long-distance towing capability.”
Harsh weather and water seepage added to the fire damage, causing the ship to sink before it could be towed to a salvage port.
Footage of the ship burning was posted to social media platform X after the fire began.
#MorningMidas caught fire 3 weeks on[ 6/3/2025]; #CoastOfAlaska #PACIFICOCEAN, carrying 3,000+ #ElectricVehicles. It burned & sank with cargo. Crew evacuated safely. #ZodaicMaritime & #CoastGuards r investigating. #LithiumBatteries ignite fire that are difficult to extuingish. pic.twitter.com/NP1g0IIsov
— Dr. Subhash (@Subhash_LiveS) June 25, 2025
Marine Link said there were no visible signs of pollution, but two salvage vessels were on-site, monitoring the situation.
The Morning Midas left Yantai port in China on May 26, heading for Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico, before the fire broke out.
Given the presence of EVs on board, the Coast Guard said putting out the fire presented unique problems.
A Coast Guard representative told the New York Times that ships sent to put the fire out had to keep their distance because the EVs’ lithium-ion batteries are often known to explode.
Additionally, putting out a fire involving an EV battery requires far more water than most other types of fires.
Rich Meier of Florida-based Meier Fire Investigation told The Washington Post, “The prevailing wisdom is that it takes 10,000 gallons of water to put out a single lithium-ion EV fire. … When you multiply that by the number of vehicles on a ship, you may sink the ship before you put the fire out.”
🚨Cargo ship Morning Midas sinks in Pacific Ocean after days of fire
3,000 cars onboard, including 800 EVs, Lithium batteries, 1500 tons of fuel now sitting 16,000 feet underwater. Pollution risk being monitored#morningmidas pic.twitter.com/r6u31EB1zC
— Nabila Jamal (@nabilajamal_) June 25, 2025
It seems hard to assess the impact of the sinking now, but on its face, the oil and gas and other toxic substances being dumped into the ocean can’t produce good results.
EVs continue to create problems for emergency response teams, whether it’s at sea or on land. During the wildfires that devastated Los Angeles, California, in January, EVs presented extra challenges for firefighters.
As Californians fled to safety, EVs burned much longer, producing toxic gasses.
Would you ever buy an electric vehicle?
Firefighters already had a catastrophe to handle, now made worse by those cars.
Sean DeCrane, a director with the International Association of Fire Fighters, told reporters when the fire first broke out that the fire on the Morning Midas, “does sound consistent with a failure in electric vehicles, especially the deployment of the CO2 system and the reignition.”
We’re looking at a potential ecological disaster here, and the facts point to EVs being the cause.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
