22 crew rescued after cargo ship carrying 3,000 cars catches fire

Twenty-two crew members were safely rescued after a cargo ship carrying 3,000 vehicles, including 800 electric cars, caught fire in the North Pacific near Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.

The Morning Midas crew abandoned ship after firefighters onboard couldn’t control the blaze, which started near the ship’s stern on a deck loaded with electric vehicles. The fire began Tuesday, about 300 miles southwest of Adak Island.

The crew escaped on a lifeboat and were rescued by a nearby merchant vessel, the Cosco Hellas. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.

The ship’s management, London-based Zodiac Maritime, says it is working with emergency responders and sending a tug to assist with firefighting and salvage operations. The U.S. Coast Guard sent aircrews and a ship to monitor the situation. Smoke was still visible Wednesday afternoon.

Rear Admiral Megan Dean of the Coast Guard praised the quick rescue efforts, thanking the crews of three nearby ships, especially the Cosco Hellas, for helping save all 22 crew members.

The Morning Midas, a 600-foot cargo vessel built in 2006 and registered in Liberia, left Yantai, China, on May 26. It was headed to Lazaro Cardenas, a major port in Mexico.

This incident raises concerns about safety on big cargo ships carrying thousands of vehicles, including electric cars, following a deadly 2023 fire on a similar freighter in the North Sea that lasted a week and killed one person.

As global shipping grows larger and more complex, experts emphasize the need to improve emergency response and safety standards on the open sea.

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