• A cargo ship, Morning Midas, carrying 3,000 vehicles caught fire off Alaska.
• 22 crew members were safely evacuated; no injuries reported.
• A salvage team is en route to assess and manage the situation.
• The ship was transporting vehicles from China to Mexico, including electric models.
• Past incidents of similar fires raise concerns for maritime safety.

The Morning Midas, a cargo ship carrying approximately 3,000 vehicles, including around 800 electric and hybrid models, was abandoned by its crew off the coast of Alaska due to a fire onboard. The crew of 22 was safely evacuated via lifeboat, and the U.S. Coast Guard assisted in transferring them to a nearby merchant vessel. The incident occurred roughly 490 kilometers southwest of Adak Island, Alaska, around 3:15 PM local time on Tuesday, June 4, according to Channel News Asia, South China Morning Post, and CBS News.

A salvage team with specialized equipment is expected to reach the Morning Midas early next week to assess the damage and manage the ship's condition. Officials utilized the ship's onboard satellite systems for monitoring. Images released by the Coast Guard showed smoke continuing to rise from the vessel, which remained afloat as of Thursday. The Coast Guard’s initial reports mentioned the ship was primarily transporting approximately 70 fully electric and about 680 hybrid vehicles, nervousness about potential hazard of EV fires arousing from the situation, as these types of fires can be particularly challenging to extinguish, according to Los Angeles Times and South China Morning Post.

The Morning Midas had set sail from Yantai, China, on May 26 en route to Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico. This incident adds to growing concerns surrounding the safety of shipping electric vehicles, a topic recently reiterated after a related incident in 2023 where a freighter carrying a large number of automobiles caught fire in the North Sea, resulting in fatalities and extensive damage. Both past incidents highlight the critical nature of safety protocols in maritime transport, as noted by reports from Los Angeles Times and CBS News.