Crew evacuated after fire on Zodiac car carrier

Fire broke out on a Zodiac Maritime-managed car carrier off Alaska on 3 June. All 22 crewmen on the 2006-built, 4,902 CEU Morning Midas were evacuated after the fire occurred around 11 pm UK time that day.

Morning Midas, which has been chartered by SAIC Anji Logistics, the shipping arm of Chinese carmaker SAIC Motor, since 2023, departed Yantai, China, on 26 May, and was bound for Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico.

The fire is believed to have originated from a deck holding electric vehicles (EVs). The US Coast Guard was alerted, and the crew attempted to put out the flames, but evacuated on lifeboats when the situation could not be controlled.

Zodiac Maritime has not made an immediate response to Container News’ request for comment.

The US Coast Guard said 22 seafarers were manning Morning Midas, and no injuries were reported. A helicopter and a cutter vessel have been dispatched to the scene, while three other ships are assisting.

Vessel-tracking data shows Morning Midas is now 254 nautical miles off Tanaga Bay in the United States. The Liberia-flagged ship is insured by Steamship Mutual.

Morning Midas was said to be carrying 3,000 vehicles, of which 800 are EVs.

The incident is the latest in a string of fires on car carriers, many involving the transport of EVs.

On 17 April, fire broke out in Delphine, a car carrier in CLdN’s fleet. All the crew were evacuated in the incident in Zeebrugge port.

Lithium-ion batteries that power EVs can overheat and cause fires, phenomena known as thermal runaway. Such fires are challenging to extinguish with conventional methods due to the high temperatures and toxic gases.

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