Cargo Vessel Carrying Flaming Electric Vehicles Sinks near Alaska Coast

If you were waiting on a new car, the Domino’s Pizza Tracker equivalent for vehicle orders might be stuck at the “Delivery” spot for a while. A cargo ship carrying a fleet of electric vehicles, hybrids, and gas-powered vehicles sank, according to the New York Times, after catching fire while crossing the Pacific.

The Morning Midas, a ship sailing under a Liberian flag and managed by international shipping firm Zodiac Maritime, went under about 360 nautical miles from the coast of Alaska, according to the report. The ship had caught fire about three weeks ago and sustained additional damage from severe weather before it finally headed to its watery grave. It was reportedly sailing from China to Mexico with a large load of automotive cargo on board.

The 600-foot boat was carrying 70 electric vehicles, 681 hybrids, and more than 2,000 conventional vehicles, according to information provided by the U.S. Coast Guard. It was also carrying about 1,800 metric tons of ship fuel, which is great for a ship crossing the ocean and not so great for a ship headed to the sea floor, as it creates the potential for an oil spill. According to the Times, none of the cargo that was on board the Morning Midas was salvaged before it went down.

While the cars went down with the ship, the Morning Midas crew was successfully evacuated. The 22 crew members were all evacuated by lifeboat and picked up by a commercial ship shortly after the initial fire broke out on June 3. They ditched the ship once it was clear they couldn’t contain the fire, which burned for about a week before firefighting crews were able to reach it. The fire did burn out before the ship sank, but not soon enough to allow anything to be saved.

Both Liberia and Zodiac Maritime are expected to conduct investigations into what exactly happened on the Morning Midas to cause the fire. It is currently unknown if the electric vehicles played any role in the initial flame or if they got caught up in the fire. The lithium-ion batteries used in EVs can overheat, and if they catch fire, they are particularly difficult to put out. Lithium-ion batteries present a risk of chemical exposure for those fighting the flames and a higher possibility of reignition that would have made continuing on the delivery route a risk.