Latest news with #Alaska-based
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- General
- Los Angeles Times
Cargo ship carrying new vehicles to Mexico sinks in the North Pacific weeks after catching fire
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A cargo ship that had been delivering new vehicles to Mexico sank in the North Pacific Ocean, weeks after crew members abandoned ship when they couldn't extinguish an onboard fire that left the carrier dead in the water. The Morning Midas sank Monday in international water off Alaska's Aleutian Islands chain, the ship's management company, London-based Zodiac Maritime, said in a statement. 'There is no visible pollution,' said Petty Officer Cameron Snell, an Alaska-based U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson. 'Right now we also have vessels on scene to respond to any pollution.' Fire damage compounded by bad weather and water seepage caused the carrier to sink in waters about 16,404 feet deep and about 415 miles from land, the statement said. The ship was loaded with about 3,000 new vehicles intended for a major Pacific port in Mexico. It was not immediately clear if any of the cars were removed before it sank, and Zodiac Maritime did not immediately respond to messages Tuesday. A salvage crew arrived days after the fire disabled the vehicle. Two salvage tugs containing pollution control equipment will remain on scene to monitor for any signs of pollution or debris, the company said. The crew members of those two ships were not injured when the Morning Midas sank. Zodiac Maritime said it is also sending another specialized pollution response vessel to the location as an added precaution. The Coast Guard said it received a distress alert June 3 about a fire aboard the Morning Midas, which then was roughly 300 miles southwest of Adak Island. There were 22 crew members onboard the Morning Midas. All evacuated to a lifeboat and were rescued by a nearby merchant marine vessel. There were no injuries. Among the cars were about 70 fully electric and about 680 hybrid vehicles. A large plume of smoke was initially seen at the ship's stern coming from the deck loaded with electric vehicles, the Coast Guard and Zodiac Maritime said at the time. Adak is about 1,200 miles west of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city. The 600-foot Morning Midas was built in 2006 and sails under a Liberian flag. The car and truck carrier left Yantai, China, on May 26 en route to Mexico, according to the industry site A Dutch safety board in a recent report called for improving emergency response on North Sea shipping routes after a deadly 2023 fire aboard a freighter that was carrying 3,000 automobiles, including nearly 500 electric vehicles, from Germany to Singapore. One person was killed and others injured in the fire, which burned out of control for a week. That ship was eventually towed to a Netherlands port for salvage. Thiessen writes for the Associated Press.
Time of India
5 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Why did Morning Midas cargo ship carrying 3,000 new vehicles to Mexico sink in Alaska weeks after catching fire?
A cargo ship transporting new vehicles to Mexico sank in the North Pacific Ocean weeks after its crew abandoned it, unable to put out a fire that had left the vessel stranded. The Morning Midas sank Monday in international water off Alaska's Aleutian Islands chain, the ship's management company, London-based Zodiac Maritime, said in a statement. "There is no visible pollution," said Petty Officer Cameron Snell, an Alaska-based US Coast Guard spokesperson. "Right now we also have vessels on scene to respond to any pollution." Why did the cargo ship sink? Fire damage compounded by bad weather and water seepage caused the carrier to sink in waters about 16,404 feet (5,000 metres) deep and about 415 miles (770 kilometres) from land, the official statement said. The ship was loaded with about 3,000 new vehicles intended for a major Pacific port in Mexico. It was not immediately clear if any of the cars were removed before it sank, and Zodiac Maritime did not immediately respond to messages Tuesday. Live Events A salvage crew arrived days after the fire disabled the vehicle. Pollution concerns mount Two salvage tugs containing pollution control equipment will remain on scene to monitor for any signs of pollution or debris, the company said. The crew members of those two ships were not injured when the Morning Midas sank. Zodiac Maritime said it is also sending another specialised pollution response vessel to the location as an added precaution. The Coast Guard said it received a distress alert June 3 about a fire aboard the Morning Midas, which then was roughly 300 miles (490 kilometres) southwest of Adak Island. There were 22 crew members onboard the Morning Midas. All evacuated to a lifeboat and were rescued by a nearby merchant marine vessel. There were no injuries. Among the cars were about 70 fully electric and about 680 hybrid vehicles. A large plume of smoke was initially seen at the ship's stern coming from the deck loaded with electric vehicles, the Coast Guard and Zodiac Maritime said at the time. Adak is about 1,200 miles (1,930 kilometres) west of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city. The 600-foot (183-metre) Morning Midas was built in 2006 and sails under a Liberian flag. The car and truck carrier left Yantai, China, on May 26 en route to Mexico, according to the industry site A Dutch safety board in a recent report called for improving emergency response on North Sea shipping routes after a deadly 2023 fire aboard a freighter that was carrying 3,000 automobiles, including nearly 500 electric vehicles, from Germany to Singapore. One person was killed and others injured in the fire, which burned out of control for a week. That ship was eventually towed to a Netherlands port for salvage. (with AP inputs)
Mint
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Mint
Morning Midas fire: What was behind sinking of 3,000 vehicles onboard Cargo ship? Here's what we know
The Morning Midas, a cargo ship that was delivering nearly 3,000 vehicles to Mexico and caught fire weeks ago, has now sunk near Alaska. The crew abandoned the vessel after an onboard fire they couldn't extinguish, leaving it stranded in the water, according to a report by Bloomberg News. Smoke was first observed coming from a deck with electrical vehicles, manager Zodiac Maritime told Bloomberg News when the incident first happened. Out of 3,000 vehicles on the ship, about 800 were electric vehicles. The damages due to the fire were further escalated because of heavy weather and following water ingress, causing the sinking on June 23, the manager added. 'There is no visible pollution,' Petty Officer Cameron Snell, an Alaska-based US Coast Guard spokesperson told AP."Right now we also have vessels on scene to respond to any pollution," he added. The ship with 3,000 new vehicles was scheduled to be delivered to a major Pacific port in Mexico. It remains unclear whether the cars were removed before the ship sank. The Morning Midas had 22 crew members onboard. They were all evacuated to a lifeboat and were rescued by a nearby merchant vessel. No injuries were reported. Meanwhile, the salvage crew reached days after the fire damaged the vehicle. The company stated that two salvage tugs equipped with pollution control gear will stay on site to watch for pollution or debris. The crew of these ships was unharmed when the Morning Midas sank, AP reported. The company is also sending another pollution response vehicle as a precautionary measure. The Coast Guard reported receiving a distress alert on June 3 regarding a fire on the Morning Midas, approximately 300 miles (490 kms) southwest of Adak Island. The Morning Midas, a 600-foot (183-meter) car and truck carrier built in 2006, operates under a Liberian flag. It departed Yantai, China, on May 26, heading to Mexico, AP reported.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Morning Midas cargo ship: EVs behind fire sinking of 3000 vehicles off Alaska - Here's latest
The Morning Midas, a 600-foot Liberian-flagged cargo ship carrying 3,048 vehicles, including 70 fully electric vehicles (EVs) and 681 hybrids, sank in the Pacific Ocean, southwest of Adak, Alaska, after a fire broke out this week. Managed by Zodiac Maritime, the ship was en route from Yantai, China, to Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico, when the blaze led to the sinking. Smoke rises from a fire aboard the cargo vessel Morning Midas, carrying around 3,000 vehicles, including 800 electric vehicles(via REUTERS) 'There is no visible pollution,' Petty Officer Cameron Snell, an Alaska-based US Coast Guard spokesperson said, as per the Associated Press. "Right now we also have vessels on scene to respond to any pollution.' The fire originated on a deck carrying EVs, with smoke first spotted around midnight UTC. Zodiac Maritime confirmed the blaze began in the EV section, suggesting lithium-ion battery ignition as a likely trigger, though the exact cause remains under investigation. Read More: Las Vegas plane crash reports: What exactly caused fire at Harry Reid International Airport Lithium-ion batteries, used in EVs, can overheat or short-circuit if damaged, producing intense fires that are difficult to extinguish. The ship's CO2 fire suppression system failed after exhausting its supply, as lithium-ion fires require vast amounts of water—up to 10,000 gallons per vehicle. Sean DeCrane of the International Association of Fire Fighters noted the fire's behavior as 'consistent with known EV ignition patterns,' particularly with ineffective CO2 systems. No specific brand has been linked to the ignition, and Great Wall confirmed its 140 vehicles were not EVs and were on a different deck. Sinking of the Morning Midas The fire burned for weeks, spreading across multiple decks, as seen in US Coast Guard photos. This week, the combination of fire damage and severe weather caused the ship to sink in 5,000-meter-deep waters, according to reports. The vessel carried 350 metric tons of gas fuel and 1,530 metric tons of very low-sulfur fuel oil. The Morning Midas carried 3,048 vehicles, with 70 EVs and 681 hybrids, likely including models from Chinese manufacturers like Chery and SAIC. There were about 22 crew members on board. No reports of injuries have emerged so far.
5 days ago
- General
Cargo ship carrying new vehicles sinks in North Pacific weeks after catching fire
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A cargo ship that had been delivering new vehicles to Mexico sank in the North Pacific Ocean, weeks after crew members abandoned ship when they couldn't extinguish an onboard fire that left the carrier dead in the water. The Morning Midas sank Monday in international water off Alaska's Aleutian Islands chain, the ship's management company, London-based Zodiac Maritime, said in a statement. 'There is no visible pollution,' said Petty Officer Cameron Snell, an Alaska-based U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson. "Right now we also have vessels on scene to respond to any pollution.' Fire damage compounded by bad weather and water seepage caused the carrier to sink in waters about 16,404 feet (5,000 meters) deep and about 415 miles (770 kilometers) from land, the statement said. The ship was loaded with about 3,000 new vehicles intended for a major Pacific port in Mexico. It was not immediately clear if any of the cars were removed before it sank, and Zodiac Maritime did not immediately respond to messages Tuesday. A salvage crew arrived days after the fire disabled the vehicle. Two salvage tugs containing pollution control equipment will remain on scene to monitor for any signs of pollution or debris, the company said. The crew members of those two ships were not injured when the Morning Midas sank. Zodiac Maritime said it is also sending another specialized pollution response vessel to the location as an added precaution. The Coast Guard said it received a distress alert June 3 about a fire aboard the Morning Midas, which then was roughly 300 miles (490 kilometers) southwest of Adak Island. There were 22 crew members onboard the Morning Midas. All evacuated to a lifeboat and were rescued by a nearby merchant marine vessel. There were no injuries. Among the cars were about 70 fully electric and about 680 hybrid vehicles. A large plume of smoke was initially seen at the ship's stern coming from the deck loaded with electric vehicles, the Coast Guard and Zodiac Maritime said at the time. Adak is about 1,200 miles (1,930 kilometers) west of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city. The 600-foot (183-meter) Morning Midas was built in 2006 and sails under a Liberian flag. The car and truck carrier left Yantai, China, on May 26 en route to Mexico, according to the industry site A Dutch safety board in a recent report called for improving emergency response on North Sea shipping routes after a deadly 2023 fire aboard a freighter that was carrying 3,000 automobiles, including nearly 500 electric vehicles, from Germany to Singapore. One person was killed and others injured in the fire, which burned out of control for a week. That ship was eventually towed to a Netherlands port for salvage.
