It’s been a week since the Morning Midas caught fire in the Pacific Ocean, roughly 300 miles southwest of Alaska. It may surprise you that a 600-foot car carrier is still on fire. A salvage tug arrived at the scene on Monday to assess the smoldering vessel. Since the blaze’s outbreak, the U.S. Coast Guard has monitored the situation and confirmed that 3,048 vehicles were on board the ship. Among that total were 70 electric vehicles and 681 hybrid electric vehicles.
It’s not exactly clear how the fire began onboard. However, the ship’s crew first spotted smoke on the deck where the battery-laden cars were stored. Once the blaze got out of control, the decision was made to abandon ship. All 22 crew members safely evacuated the burning ship on a lifeboat and were rescued by the crew of Cosco Hellas, a container ship that came to their aid. The uncrewed vessel has been left to drift at a lumbering speed of 1.8 miles per hour until the fire burns out.
New problems require new solutions
A Coast Guard HC-130J Super Hercules has been flying over the Morning Midas constantly since the fire began. While the service stated that the ship doesn’t seem to be listing or taking on water, it’s impossible to ignore how the vessel has been slowly consumed by flames. The photos featured are from Monday’s overflight. The ship’s exterior has gone from painted and polished to charred and burned away as smoke continues to billow from its holds. Rear Admiral Megan Dean, commander of the Coast Guard’s Seventeenth District, said in a statement:
“The safety of the public, responders, and vessel crews operating in the area remains our top priority. We are working closely with Zodiac Maritime to ensure a safe and effective plan to address the fire and mitigate any potential impacts to the environment.”
In response to this fire, like many others, EV evangelists are quick to point out that ICE vehicles are just as likely to catch fire. While this is true, EV fires are far more intense, and responders are less prepared to fight them. These massive infernos aren’t a reason to avoid electric vehicles, but an impetus to improve fire safety and firefighting capabilities.
For example, Hyundai developed a fire suppression tool last year specifically designed for electric vehicles. The Korean automaker’s EV Drill Lance intentionally penetrates a burning battery pack from underneath and unleashes a torrent of water directly on the fire’s source. It can extinguish an EV blaze in just 30 minutes, instead of several hours. Hyundai Glovis equipped 32 car carrier ships with a version of the tool modified for maritime vehicle transportation. To put it simply, new problems require new solutions.
A car carrier left to burn out is not unusual. In 2022, the Felicity Ace burned for nearly two weeks before the car carrier full of European cars finally sank to the bottom of the Atlantic.
