Ship carrying fresh automobiles to Mexico submerges in North Pacific Ocean following a fire incident weeks prior.
Yo, here's the lowdown:
Last Monday, the cargo ship "Morning Midas," loaded with around 3K new vehicles destined for Mexico, sunk in the North Pacific Ocean near Alaska's Aleutian Islands. This sad saga kicked off on June 3 when a pesky fire aboard the ship left it adrift and dead in the water.
London-based Zodiac Maritime, the vessel's management company, confirmed the unfortunate event in a statement. According to a U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson, no visible pollution was detected, and emergency response teams were on standby, just in case. The fire damage, compounded by lousy weather and water seepage, sent the carrier belly-up in waters over 5,000 meters deep—that's about 16,400 feet for those who don't like metric system stuff—some 360 to 450 nautical miles from land.
During the fire, some sources reported a significant plume of smoke emanating from the electric vehicles section of the ship. Don't worry about what happened to the cars, though; whether any escaped the watery grave remains unknown as of now. Zodiac Maritime didn't return messages for comments on this fancy detail.
A salvage crew arrived on the scene days after the fire put paid to the Morning Midas's ocean voyages. Two salvage tugs, equipped with pollution control gear, stayed put to keep an eye out for any signs of contamination or debris. Fret not, as the crew of those two boats aren't nursing any injuries after witnessing the ship's demise.
Zodiac Maritime is sending another specialized boat to the spot to add extra insurance against any possible watery mess. Quite fittingly, the 600-foot Morning Midas was built in 2006 and sailing under a Liberian flag. It embarked on its ill-fated journey from Yantai, China, on May 26, and headed for a Pacific Mexican port, according to marine traffic records.
Guess what? This isn't the first time cargo ships have had issues with fires and hazardous cargoes. A Dutch safety board issued recommendations earlier this year over the need for better emergency responses on North Sea shipping routes. Their concerns stemmed from a deadly 2023 fire aboard a freighter carrying 3,000 cars, including nearly 500 EVs, from Germany to Singapore. Tragically, one person died in that inferno, and others were injured. The blaze continued to burn for a week before the ship was towed to a Dutch port for salvage.
Stay tuned for updates on this soggy situation. Keep your fingers crossed for Mother Nature to spare us any further surprises!
More to check out:
- Salvage crew heads to the scene of a cargo ship disaster off the coast of Alaska
- A cargo ship and fuel tanker collide off England's shores, and the crew emerges safe and sound from the fiery melee.
- The salvage crew in California, on standby for the Morning Midas disaster, might also be called upon to assist with a potential incident involving the California-bound ship carrying hazardous goods, if any similar situation arises.
- While the finance industry is unsettled by the loss of 3K new vehicles destined for Mexico, the transportation industry should expect increased scrutiny on the safety measures for shipping electric vehicles, following the fire incident on the Morning Midas.
