Burning cargo ship carrying 3,000 vehicles abandoned off Alaska

The crew of a cargo ship carrying around 3,000 vehicles, including 800 electric vehicles, abandoned it off the coast of Alaska after a fire broke out onboard, its operator Zodiac Maritime said on Wednesday.

The 22 crew members were safely evacuated from the ship after they failed to put out the fire, Zodiac said as it focuses on salvaging the vessel.

They were evacuated via lifeboat and were being transferred to a nearby merchant vessel in tandem with the U.S. Coast Guard.

The vessel, Morning Midas, was located 300 miles (482.8 km) southwest of Adak in Alaska, the Coast Guard said on its X account.

The Liberia-flagged ship left China's Yantai port on May 26 and was on the way to Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico, according to LSEG data.

Smoke was initially seen rising from a deck loaded with EVs, the company said. It is not clear what brand of vehicles the ship was carrying. 

EV-related fires on ships are challenging to extinguish due to the heat generated and risk of reignition, which could persist for days.

The Coast Guard said aircrew and a cutter ship have been sent to assist with the situation and three vessels were already on the scene.

In 2022, a ship carrying 4,000 luxury cars, including Porsches and Bentleys, sank off the Portuguese Azores archipelago nearly two weeks after it caught fire.

Fires onboard vessels, particularly on container ships, car carriers and roll-on/roll-off ships are a big concern for insurers.

Steamship Mutual, one of the insurers of Morning Midas, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Such incidents across all vessel segments hit the highest level in a decade in 2024, according to insurer Allianz Commercial.

"The reality is the risk remains significant due to the size of these ships and the complexities involved in firefighting and salvage," Allianz said in its 2025 safety and shipping review report.