ECOCIDE
Burned-Out Car Carrier Sinks in Pacific Three Weeks After Fire Began
Zodiac Maritime, managers of the car carrier Morning Midas, reports that it received information from the salvage team that the fire-damaged vessel sank in international waters. The fire had begun three weeks ago on one of the decks carrying electrical vehicles and grew quickly in intensity, forcing the crew to abandon ship.
A salvage team from Resolve Marine took a week to reach the vessel because of its remote location approximately 360 nautical miles southwest of the Aleutians in Alaska. The vessel was reported to be still burning when teams reached it on June 9, but they believed the water integrity had been maintained. A towline was attacked on June 11, and by the time a second salvage vessel Garth Foss arrived on June 16, thermal scans and visual inspections showed no signs of an active fire onboard.
“Damage caused by the fire, compounded by heavy weather and subsequent water ingress, caused the Morning Midas to sink at around 16.35 local time zone (UTC -9) on 23 June, in waters approximately 5,000 meters deep and 360 nautical miles from land,” a spokesperson for Zodiac Maritime reported. USCG Alaska said it was informed the vessel capsized Monday at 5:35 p.m. and sank to a depth of approximately 16,400 feet in international waters.
As a precaution, two salvage tugs containing pollution control equipment remain on site to monitor for any signs of pollution or debris. A specialized pollution response vessel is also en route to the location as an additional precaution. The vessel also reportedly had 350 metric tons of marine gas oil (MGO) and 1,530 metric tons of very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO) onboard.
Morning Midas on June 3 shortly after the fire began and showing how the fire spread over the next week (USCG Alaska)
The fire began on June 3, and Zodiac reported that the crew initiated the firefighting procedures and deployed the onboard fire suppression systems. However, with the intensity of the fire growing, the crew abandoned ship into one of the vessel’s lifeboats and were rescued by a containership COSCO Hellas, which had diverted to the area.
The vessel was under charter to China’s SAIC Anji Logistics. Bloomberg reported there were several brands of cars aboard, including models from Chery Automobile Co. and Great Wall Motor Co. USCG Alaska reported that there were a total of 3,048 vehicles aboard, including 70 that were fully electric and 681 hybrid electric vehicles.
Morning Midas was bound for Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico. The Coast Guard reported that there were approximately 350 metric tons of gas fuel and 1,530 metric tons of very low sulfur fuel oil onboard.
The loss of Morning Midas is the second large car carrier to sink recently with Felicity Ace lost in February 2022, south of the Azores in another incident that also involved electric vehicles. The following year, in July 2023, the Fremantle Highway caught fire off the coast of the Netherlands in another casualty involving electric vehicles. That vessel was a total loss but was salvaged and towed to a port.
The industry and insurers have warned about the dangers of electric vehicle fires and the potential for a runaway situation, which is very difficult to control. Weeks after the fire, during the salvage, electric vehicles removed from Fremantle Highway were still smoldering. The industry is working to develop enhanced fire precautions and techniques to deal with the dangers of transporting electric vehicles.
After Two Weeks, Fire Continues Amidst Stability Concerns for Wan Hai 503
The Indian Directorate General of Shipping reports that two weeks after the fire first began on the containership Wan Hai 503, pockets of fire remain, and there has been a reignition in one area. They are meeting this week to advance the plans for the vessel to finally be moved to a refuge port, as concerns are increasing over the stability of the containership.
Teams had been making progress with the fire largely extinguished, so that a salvage team had been able to board the vessel and begin inspections. One of the goals is to start the emergency generator on the vessel to aid with the firefighting efforts and possibly navigation if they proceed to a port.
The ship is currently being held 70 nautical miles offshore with two towlines attached to the offshore tug Ocean Warrior. Some consideration was being given over the weekend to move the vessel to a position 200 nautical miles offshore, but the Directorate says plans to reposition the vessel would depend on stability surveys.
They are recording water ingress into the stern of the vessel, including the engine room. The aft draft has increased by approximately 30 cm, with reports of engine room flooding. On June 23, they were planning a diving operation to examine the hull looking for the source of flooding and the possibility of using submersible pumps in an effort to dewater the stern areas.
Another concern is that the fire reignited in Bay 14 with black smoke. Other areas, including Bays 4 to 9 and Bays 37 to 39, have light gray smoke. Hotspots have been identified, and they are continuing firefighting and regional cooling.
Weather also continues to be a concern with moderate to rough seas and squalls. They are experiencing 14 to 16 knot winds, and with the towlines, the vessel continues to drift at 1.3 knots. Four vessels remain at the site conducting thermal imaging and firefighting.
A meeting was planned for Tuesday, June 24, to discuss plans to move the vessel to Hambantota, Sri Lanka, which was selected as the preferred refuge port. India’s ports have refused to accept the ship. Earlier discussions had considered towing the hulk to Jebel Ali, Bahrain, or Colombo. Planning is considering routing and weather conditions, with the Directorate reporting if there were signs of worsening stability, the emergency relocation will be executed without delay.
Investigators reported that the vessel’s VDR has been retrieved and is being brought ashore. They have scheduled June 26 for a meeting to retrieve the data under supervision and with a witness from the P&I Club.
Indian is investigating the loading of the cargo and possible misdeclaration or efforts to conceal hazardous materials. They are also looking at the crew’s handling of the cargo and the fire.
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