The US Coast Guard has been responding to a vessel fire approximately 340 miles southwest of Adak, Alaska, since Wednesday, 4 June. It involves the car carrier Morning Midas, which is reportedly carrying several thousand vehicles. The crew have evacuated the ship.
Watchstanders at the Seventeenth Coast Guard District command centre received a distress alert Tuesday at approximately 3:15 pm reporting the fire. The Morning Midas is a 182.80-metre car carrier that was built in 2006. It sails under the flag of Liberia and is UK-managed. At the time of the fire, 22 crew members were on board.
Watchstanders immediately issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast requesting assistance from vessels in the vicinity of the Morning Midas. Three good Samaritan vessels responded to the incident. They also diverted the crew of US Coast Guard Cutter Munro (WMSL 755) to the area, directed the launch of a C-130J Super Hercules aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak, and positioned an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter aircrew in Adak.
Crew evacuates and picked up by other vessel
All 22 crew members aboard the Morning Midas evacuated the ship aboard a life raft and were subsequently rescued by the crew of motor vessel Cosco Hellas, one of the good Samaritan vessels on scene, with no reported injuries.
The status of the fire is currently unknown, but smoke is still emanating from the vessel.
‘As the search and rescue portion of our response concludes, our crews are working closely with the vessel’s manager, Zodiac Maritime, to determine the disposition of the vessel,’ says Rear Admiral Megan Dean, commander of the Coast Guard’s Seventeenth District. ‘We are grateful for the selfless actions of the three nearby vessels who assisted in the response and the crew of motor vessel Cosco Hellas, who helped save 22 lives.’
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Gas, VLSFO and vehicles on board
The Morning Midas is estimated to have approximately 350 metric tonnes of gas fuel and 1530 metric tonnes of very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) onboard.
The vessel is also reportedly carrying a total of 3048 vehicles, with seventy being fully electric vehicles and 681 being partial hybrid electric vehicles. This is based on reports to the Coast Guard and is subject to change pending the development of any new information.
UPDATE 6 JUNE – Fire continues, no signs of water ingress
A Coast Guard HC-130J Super Hercules aircrew from Air Station Kodiak conducted an overflight of the cargo ship Morning Midas Wednesday and observed the vessel was still on fire. Currently, there are no visual indications that the ship is taking on water or listing, and the extent of the damage is unknown. Zodiac Maritime, the Morning Midas’s manager, is coordinating to send a team of salvage specialists to the vessel for further assessment.
Picture (top): A Coast Guard C-130J Super Hercules aircrew from Air Station Kodiak conducts an overflight of the fire aboard the cargo vessel Morning Midas approximately 300 miles south of Adak, Alaska, June 3, 2025. All 22 crew members were rescued by the crew of motor vessel Cosco Hellas with no reported injuries (photo US Coast Guard photo, courtesy of Air Station Kodiak).
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