All 22 crew members evacuated unscathed from the Morning Midas, which was transporting electric and hybrid vehicles from China to Mexico
A cargo vessel carrying more than 3,000 electric and hybrid vehicles from China to Mexico has caught fire in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Alaska. All 22 crew members evacuated unharmed aboard a lifeboat and were rescued by a nearby merchant vessel.
An estimated 750 electric and hybrid vehicles were among the 3000 on board the vessel at the time.
The Liberian-flagged and UK-managed Morning Midas sent a distress call on Tuesday afternoon while approximately 300 miles (490km) southwest of Adak Island, according to the US Coast Guard.
#UPDATE 1: All 22 crew members evacuated the ship onto a liferaft & were rescued by the vessel Cosco Hellas crew. USCG working with vessel parent company, Zodiac Maritime, to coordinate vessel recovery efforts.
The Coast Guard requested assistance from three nearby merchant vessels and dispatched several of its own ships and aircraft to the site of the incident.
Apart from its cargo, the ship is estimated to have approximately 1,900 metric tons of fuel onboard.
The authorities had decided to allow the fire to burn out and not attempt to extinguish it due to the risks posed by the lithium-ion batteries in the vehicles on board, according to Alaska Coast Guard spokeswoman, Petty Officer First Class Shannon Kearney, as quoted by the New York Times.
The battery type can cause an explosion and also produce toxic gases if it catches fire.
Zodiac Maritime, the company managing the cargo ship, said in a statement that the blaze started at around 00:00 UTC on June 3.Â
