A ship carrying cars from China – including electric vehicles (EVs) – has been abandoned in the middle of the Pacific Ocean after its 22-strong crew couldn’t contain a fire that broke out on board.
The 46,800-ton Morning Midas had left Yantai in China on May 26 heading for Mexico with 3048 vehicles including 70 battery-electric and 681 hybrid cars on board.
A statement from the United States Coast Guard News said smoke broke out on the vessel and emergency procedures were undertaken, but the blaze couldn’t be brought under control.
A distress signal saw the US Coast Guard (USCG) evacuate the crew of the 600-foot ship using a lifeboat, sending air and sea crews to fight the fire.
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There were no reported injuries from the fire and subsequent evacuation, according to the USCG.
The vessel was located 300 miles (483km) south of Adak off the coast of Alaska in the North Pacific Ocean, with the ship’s London-based operator, Zodiac Maritime, working with the USCG to recover the vessel.
While combustion-powered vehicles have been known to ignite, fires involving lithium-ion batteries found in many EVs – and portable devices – are difficult to extinguish, with their chemistry more susceptible to heat than other battery types.
Brands such as BYD use lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) batteries for their more stable chemistry and a higher threshold for heat.
The brands of the vehicles on the Morning Midas have not yet been specified.
The vessel left Yantai where SAIC – owner of car brands including MG and the IM Motors brand soon to be launched in Australia – has a factory, but also docked at Nansha and Shanghai ports, according to Bloomberg.
Toyota and Dongfeng build cars in Nansha, while SAIC, Tesla, Volkswagen and General Motors (GM) manufacture cars in Shanghai – among other brands.
Out-of-control fires on board cargo ships transporting electric cars around the world have previously caused headlines, the most notable involving a shipment of Volkswagen Group cars.
The Felicity Ace is now sitting 3000m on the bottom of the ocean off the coast of Portugal including the 3823 Porsches, Bentleys and Audis it was shipping from Emden, Germany, to Davisville in the US state of Rhode Island.
It went down in a dramatic fashion in February 2022, with an out-of-control blaze forcing an evacuation of the crew, which again saw no injuries, as the ship sank while in flames.
