The US Coast Guard is continuing its response to a fire onboard the car carrier Morning Midas, located approximately 260 miles southwest of Adak on Monday, 9 June. The tug Gretchen Dunlap arrived on scene with salvage personnel Monday afternoon and has begun a full assessment of the conditions on scene.
The US Coast Guard received the initial report of the fire Tuesday, June 3, at approximately 3:15 p.m. and has been working closely with Zodiac Maritime, the vessel’s manager, to respond to the incident.
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. All crew 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.
Two additional vessels are scheduled to arrive on scene at different dates within the next two weeks. A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak HC-130J Super Hercules aircrew conducted an overflight of the Morning Midas on Sunday and observed no signs of pollution.
Also read: Car carrier Morning Midas on fire off Alaska
Resolve Marine to salvage vessel
The Coast Guard is in close communication with Zodiac Maritime as their salvors, Resolve Marine, develop comprehensive salvage and safety plans. The Coast Guard is providing its expertise to ensure the plans are as safe and effective as possible.
‘The safety of the public, responders, and vessel crews operating in the area remains our top priority,’ says Rear Adm. Megan Dean, commander of the Coast Guard’s Seventeenth District. ‘We are working closely with Zodiac Maritime to ensure a safe and effective plan to address the fire and mitigate any potential impacts to the environment.’
Also read: Large fire on board ship in Port of Amsterdam
Monitoring position and condition
The US Coast Guard is closely monitoring weather conditions to inform response efforts. As of 12:20 pm Monday, the on-scene weather included 45-50-knot winds and 6-foot seas.
In addition, the organisation is tracking the vessel’s position and condition through regular overflights, information from on-scene responders, and drift analysis conducted in conjunction with information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of Response and Restoration. As of 7 am Monday, the Morning Midas was reported to be drifting northeast at approximately 1.8 miles per hour.
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.
Picture (top): A Coast Guard C-130J Super Hercules aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak conducts an overflight of a fire aboard the cargo vessel Morning Midas approximately 260 miles southwest of Adak, June 8, 2025. The Coast Guard is in close communication with Zodiac Maritime, the manager of the Morning Midas, as they develop their salvage and safety plans with Resolve Marine (US Coast Guard photo courtesy of Air Station Kodiak).
Also read: Dutch Coast Guard responds to engine room fire on North Sea
