Morning-Midas

The sinking of the 'Morning Midas', carrying 3,048 Chinese vehicles, including 750 electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids, is costing the industry an estimated $560 million, according to the Anderson Economic Group. This incident, the third major EV-carrying ship loss in three years, highlights growing risks in EV shipping. The 'Morning Midas' was transporting vehicles from Chinese automakers like Chery Automobile Co. and Great Wall Motor Co. Combined with the sinking of the 'Felicity Ace' in 2022 and the fire aboard the 'Fremantle Highway' in 2023, these incidents have racked up an estimated $1.8 billion in losses, highlighting the risks of shipping EVs in closed containers. These figures excluded the additional expenses like environmental cleanup, medical costs, or replacing the ship itself, meaning the true impact could be even higher. For EV manufacturers, these losses strain budgets and disrupt supply chains, potentially delaying deliveries to markets like Mexico, where demand for affordable EVs is growing. Ship crews, often limited in size, lack the specialized training needed to handle EV fires. Most crews receive only basic firefighting training and may not even know where EVs are stored on board. This gap in expertise and resources complicates emergency responses. Better fire monitoring systems and increased spacing between EVs” could help control fires. Spacing EVs farther apart could slow fire spread, though it would reduce the number of vehicles per ship. These changes could raise shipping costs, as fewer vehicles per trip mean higher per-unit expenses. Automakers and shippers must balance efficiency with safety. Enhanced monitoring, better crew training, and revised cargo layouts are regarded as critical steps towards preventing future disasters.

The salvors, Resolve Marine, have reported that the 'Morning Midas' sank in international waters in the North Pacific. The damage caused by the fire, compounded by heavy weather and subsequent water ingress, caused the vessel to sink on June 23 at around 4.35 p.m. LT (UTC -9) on a water depth of approximately 5,000 metres, 360 nautical miles from land. The vessel was transporting 3,048 vehicles, including approximately 70 fully electric and 681 hybrid models. The fire reportedly originated on a deck housing electric vehicles. The vessel also had on board 350 metric tons of marine gas oil (MGO) and 1,530 metric tons of very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO)- The Coast Guard has concluded its response to the fire after it received notification that the vessel had capsized at 5:35 p.m. There were no reports of visible signs of pollution at this time. The Coast Guard was monitoring the situation and remained in close contact with the Zodiac Maritime, the manager of the 'Morning Midas'. The two salvage vessels 'Garth Foss' and 'Salvage Worker' remained on scene and were conducting continuous assessments of the area with pollution response equipment onboard to respond to any potential signs of pollution. The oil spill response vessel 'Endeavour' was en route from Dutch Harbor and expected to arrive on scene on June 26, being equipped with additional pollution response equipment including an oil spill containment and recovery system. All operations continued to prioritise the safety of personnel and the protection of the marine environment in order to ensure a swift and effective response to any potential signs of pollution.” There were no reported injuries during the response. Zodiac Maritime’s public information spokesperson can be contacted at media@navigateresponse.com or by phone at 44-207-283-9915 or 65-6222-6375.

The "Morning Midas," with around 3,000 cars on board, iin danger of sinking. Criticism of the salvage operation was growing louder. The crew of the tug 'Gretchen Dunlap' has no choice but to monitor the ship from a safe distance. Two additional tugs, dispatched by the ship's owner, Zodiac Maritime Systems, are not expected at the scene until the next few days. The chances that the burned-out 'Morning Midas' can still be towed to a port are diminishing with each passing day. Because the remnants of the cargo can slide at any time in rough seas, the burned-out ship is in danger of listing and sinking.The cars had been secured by the tires with straps, but there seems to be nothing left of this now, and the decks appear to be nothing but glowing scrap metal. The unmanned wreck was drifting northeast at a speed of about two knots. The specialized firefighting tug 'Garth Foss' (IMO: 9070266) arrived at the vessel’s location, en route from Dutch Harbor, on June 15 and has taken over operations from the tug 'Gretchen Dunlap', which had been on scene since June 9. A third tug with long-distance towing capabilities was expected to arrive within the next week. Both thermal scans and visual inspections showed no signs of active fire onboar. There were no signs of pollution to the water and the vessel’s watertight integrity remained intact,. The Resolve Marine, appointed by the vessel's manager Zodiac Maritime, is implementing comprehensive salvage and safety plans with US Coast Guard oversight.