Massive ship carrying 3,000 cars sinks in international waters

USA Today

5 days ago

A massive cargo ship carrying an estimated 3,000 vehicles capsized in international waters this week causing it to sink, according to the US Coast Guard.
The Morning Midas, operated by the London-based company Zodiac Maritime, sank on Monday, June 23, around 5:30 p.m., officials said. The incident occurred about 450 miles southwest of Adak, Alaska.
According to the Coast Guard, the ship carried 1,530 metric tons of very low-sulfur fuel oil, along with 350 tons of marine gas oil. Additionally, it was transporting approximately 3,000 vehicles, including 70 electric and 681 hybrid.
Morning Midas: Ship carrying 3,000 cars, abandoned after fire on electric vehicle deck
Ship caught on fire in early June
The Liberian-flagged Morning Midas, which was headed to Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico, from China, experienced a fire on June 3. As USA TODAY previously reported, 22 crew members abandoned the ship after they failed to put out the fire.
The crew evacuated via lifeboat and transferred to a nearby merchant vessel in tandem with the U.S. Coast Guard.
There were no injuries.
Fire damage, weather resulting in boat sinking
Zodiac Maritime told USA TODAY in a statement on June 25 that the fire damage "compounded by heavy weather and subsequent water ingress" caused the 600-foot vessel to sink.
The Coast Guard stated that there have been no visible indications of pollution, but it is working with the company to monitor the situation.
"Two salvage vessels, Garth Foss and Salvage Worker, remain on scene and are conducting continuous assessments of the area with pollution response equipment onboard to respond to any potential signs of pollution," the agency said.
#UPDATE 5 USCG concluded response to a fire onboard the Morning Midas which sank ~450 mi SW of Adak Monday. No injuries or visible signs of pollution. 2 vessels on scene monitoring area with pollution response equipment with another en route.Read more: https://t.co/Nee90erdyk https://t.co/SSSb1nwVii
Endeavour, an oil spill response vessel, is also responding to the area on June 26 with oil containment and other pollution recovery resources.
"We remain in close coordination with Resolve Marine and the United States Coast Guard, and we extend our sincere thanks for their professionalism, swift response, and continued collaboration," Zodiac Maritime stated.
Contributing: James Powel, USA TODAY, Reuters
Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [e-mail].