Morning Midas ship sank near Alaska
The ship Morning Midas, which caught fire at the beginning of the month, has finally sunk in international waters. The incident occurred approximately 450 miles southwest of Alaska. The vessel was transporting 3048 vehicles, including 681 hybrids and 70 electric vehicles.
The United States reported that the ship capsized at 17:35 and then sank to a depth of about 16,400 feet
At the time of sinking, 350 tons of marine gas and 1530 tons of low-sulfur fuel remained on board. The US Coast Guard states that no visible pollution has been recorded so far, but the situation is under constant monitoring.
Details of the rescue operation
The fire on the Liberian vessel started on June 4th. All 22 crew members managed to evacuate on a lifeboat and were picked up by another vessel without injuries. The ship was en route from China to Mexico when the incident occurred.
Initial reports indicated that smoke was rising specifically from the deck where the electric vehicles were located. However, the exact causes of the fire still remain unclear. Two rescue vessels with equipment for containing possible fuel spills remained at the scene.
This event has once again raised questions about the safety of transporting electric vehicles by sea. Although they constituted only a small percentage of the total cargo, electric cars often become the focus of attention during such incidents due to the specifics of their batteries. Professional shipping associations have been developing additional safety protocols for such transports for several years.