That Burning Ship Packed With Cars Just Disappeared Into The Deep
Weeks after a fire broke out aboard the Morning Midas, the ship has sunk. The vessel went down on Monday in international waters, approximately 450 miles (724 km) southwest of Adak, Alaska.
The United States Coast Guard said the ship capsized at around 5:35 pm, and then sank to a depth of approximately 16,400 feet (4,999 meters). The ship was carrying 3,048 vehicles including 681 hybrids and 70 EVs. The latter have been rumored as a possible source of the fire, although that’s not entirely clear.
When the ship went down, it had 350 metric tons of marine gas oil and 1,530 metric tons of very low sulfur fuel oil onboard. The Coast Guard says there haven’t been any reports of visible pollution, but they’re continuing to monitor the situation. Two salvage vessels also remain on the scene and have pollution response equipment onboard, if needed.
US Coast Guard
The Liberian-flagged ship caught ablaze on June 4 and three nearby vessels responded to provide assistance. All 22 crew members were able to evacuate onto a life boat and they were subsequently rescued by the Cosco Hellas without injury.
CBS News reports the ship left Yantai, China on May 26 and was headed to Mexico. The publication also noted early reports indicated there was a large plume of smoke that was seen coming from the deck loaded with electric vehicles.
