Cargo Ship Carrying 3,000 Cars Ablaze Off Alaska, EV Fire Blamed

A cargo vessel carrying about 3,000 vehicles, including 800 electric vehicles, has been abandoned off Alaska after a fire broke out and forced the crew to flee.

Its operator, Zodiac Maritime, has said the 22 crew members were safely evacuated after they were unable to extinguish the fire, but it still hopes to salvage the vessel – despite warnings that it could burn for a week.

The crew were evacuated via a lifeboat and were transferred to a nearby merchant vessel with help from the US Coast Guard.

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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 difficult to extinguish due to the heat generated and risk of reignition, which can last 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.