New Delhi: The 600-foot cargo ship Morning Midas, carrying 3,000 new vehicles, including 800 electric vehicles (EVs), to Mexico, has sunk in the North Pacific Ocean. This comes weeks after a devastating fire crippled the vessel.
The ship, which had been battling a fierce blaze for several days some 300 miles off the Alaskan coast, ultimately succumbed to the combined effects of fire damage, severe weather, and water ingress, disappearing beneath the waves at a depth of 16,404 feet, around 415 miles from land, the Associated Press reported.
The incident began on June 3rd when the Morning Midas, en route from Yantai, China, to Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico, issued a distress signal reporting a major fire onboard. The US Coast Guard responded swiftly, evacuating all 22 crew members to safety via lifeboats.
A nearby merchant vessel facilitated the rescue, ensuring no loss of life. Despite efforts by the Coast Guard, including aircrews and a cutter vessel dispatched to fight the blaze, the fire proved uncontainable. Subsequent attempts by a salvage crew also proved unsuccessful.
The ship, a Liberian-flagged vessel, was constructed in 2006. The sinking presents a significant loss for the automotive industry, both in terms of the value of the vehicles and the potential environmental impact of the submerged cargo.
While the immediate aftermath showed no visible pollution, the US Coast Guard remains vigilant. Salvage tugs equipped with pollution control equipment are stationed near the sinking site, prepared to mitigate any potential environmental hazards, such as oil spills or the release of hazardous materials.
The ship’s management company, Zodiac Maritime, is also deploying additional pollution response resources as a precautionary measure. The sheer depth of the wreck makes any salvage operation exceptionally challenging and costly, if not impossible, according to AP.
