The crew of a cargo ship carrying about 3,000 vehicles, including 800 electric vehicles, abandoned the vessel off the coast of Alaska after a fire broke out onboard, according to its operator, Zodiac Maritime, on Wednesday (June 4). All 22 crew members were safely evacuated after attempts to extinguish the fire failed. They left the ship by lifeboat and were being transferred to a nearby merchant ship with assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard.

The vessel, named Morning Midas, was located approximately 300 miles southwest of Adak, Alaska, according to the Coast Guard’s social media update. The Liberia-flagged ship had departed from Yantai port in China on May 26, heading to Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico, based on LSEG data. Smoke was first noticed coming from a deck loaded with electric vehicles, though the specific brands on board have not been disclosed. Fires involving EVs on ships are particularly difficult to manage because of the intense heat and the risk of the fire reigniting, which can last for days.

The Coast Guard deployed aircrew and a cutter to assist with the situation, with three vessels already present at the scene. In a similar incident in 2022, a ship carrying 4,000 luxury cars, including Porsches and Bentleys, sank near the Portuguese Azores nearly two weeks after a fire broke out. Fires on ships, especially container ships, car carriers, and roll-on/roll-off vessels, are a major concern for insurers. Steamship Mutual, one of the insurers for Morning Midas, did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters.

According to insurer Allianz Commercial, such incidents across various vessel types have reached their highest level in a decade in 2024. Allianz highlighted in its 2025 safety and shipping review that risks remain high due to the large size of these ships and the complexity of firefighting and salvage operations.