HEADLINE: “Yet Another Car Carrier Ship Loaded With EVs Goes Up in Smoke” By DAVID BLACKMON

“I can’t remember the last time a car carrier ship not laden with electric vehicles caught fire and burned up in an uncontrollable conflagration. I’m sure that’s happened in the past…”

Yet Another Car Carrier Ship Loaded With EVs Goes Up in Smoke

DAVID BLACKMON

JUN 05, 2025

∙ PAID

Photo: U.S. Coast Guard

I can’t remember the last time a car carrier ship not laden with electric vehicles caught fire and burned up in an uncontrollable conflagration. I’m sure that’s happened in the past, but finding examples are not easy.

But this is the third time in three years I’ve written about a big car carrier ship loaded up with EVs going up in chemical-laden smoke. Yesterday, Bloomberg and many other media outlets reported on the incident, in which the U.S. Coast Guard rescued 22 crew members to save them from the flames.

The fact that so many legacy outlets chose to pick up the story indicates a growing willingness by these corrupt propaganda operations to at least provide details on stories that do not align with the preferred energy transition-boosting narrative. That’s progress from the past several years and is cause for some optimism.

Here is what Grok 3 returned when I asked it to give me the details on the incident:

On June 3, 2025, the Morning Midas, a 600-foot Liberian-flagged car carrier, became the latest maritime casualty when a fire broke out aboard the vessel in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 300 miles southwest of Adak Island, Alaska. The ship, operated by London-based Zodiac Maritime, was en route from Yantai, China, to Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico, carrying roughly 3,159 vehicles, including 65 fully electric vehicles (EVs) and 681 hybrids. The incident, which forced the evacuation of all 22 crew members, underscores the growing concerns about the risks of transporting lithium-ion battery-powered vehicles across oceans. While the ship’s ultimate fate—whether it has sunk or remains adrift—remains unclear as of the latest reports, the fire’s intensity and the challenges of extinguishing EV-related blazes suggest a grim outcome.

The fire was first detected around midnight UTC on June 3, with smoke emanating from a deck loaded with electric vehicles. The crew promptly engaged the ship’s onboard fire-suppression systems, likely carbon dioxide-based, designed to starve fires of oxygen. However, lithium-ion battery fires are notoriously difficult to extinguish. These batteries can overheat, enter thermal runaway, and produce their own oxygen, rendering traditional firefighting methods ineffective. The U.S. Coast Guard, responding to a distress signal, noted that the fire’s intensity, fueled by the batteries’ flammable nature, led to the decision to let it burn rather than risk explosions. The crew, unable to control the blaze, abandoned ship via life rafts and was safely rescued by the nearby Cosco Hellas, one of three merchant vessels that diverted to assist.

The Morning Midas incident echoes prior maritime disasters involving car carriers, particularly those transporting EVs. In 2022, the Felicity Ace, a similar vessel, caught fire in the Atlantic Ocean while carrying 4,000 vehicles, including luxury brands like Porsche and Bentley. That fire, suspected to have been sparked by an EV battery, burned for nearly two weeks before the ship sank, resulting in losses estimated at $500 million.

The Morning Midas, built in 2006 by China’s Xiamen Shipbuilding, was carrying a mix of conventional, hybrid, and electric vehicles, but the fire’s origin on the EV deck has reignited debates about the safety of shipping lithium-ion-powered cars. Unlike land-based EV fires, which require tens of thousands of gallons of water to douse, maritime fires face additional complications. Saltwater, abundant at sea, can corrode battery casings, exacerbating fires and releasing toxic gases.

The cargo aboard the Morning Midas represents a significant economic loss. While Zodiac Maritime has not disclosed the specific automakers involved, the 3,159 vehicles likely include models destined for North American markets, particularly Mexico, where Chinese manufacturers like BYD have established a strong presence. The ship’s manifest, initially reported as including 800 EVs, was later revised to 65 fully electric and 681 hybrids, suggesting a mix of emerging and established brands. The financial impact extends beyond the vehicles themselves, as the Morning Midas was carrying 350 metric tons of gas fuel and 1,530 metric tons of very low sulfur fuel oil, raising environmental concerns about potential spills if the ship sinks.

The incident highlights systemic challenges in the maritime industry. A 2024 report cited a decade-high 250 vessel fires, with 30% involving container or roll-on/roll-off ships like the Morning Midas.

Lithium-ion batteries, while not conclusively proven as the cause in all cases, are a growing concern for insurers and regulators. Some operators, like Norway’s Havila Kystruten, have banned EVs from their vessels due to fire risks. The Morning Midas’s fire-suppression systems, while state-of-the-art for 2006, were no match for the blaze, pointing to the need for updated safety protocols and specialized equipment to handle EV fires at sea.

As of June 5, 2025, the U.S. Coast Guard and Zodiac Maritime are coordinating salvage and firefighting efforts, with a tug deployed to assist. However, the fire’s persistence and the ship’s remote location—1,200 miles from Anchorage—complicate recovery. Social media posts on X reflect public concern, with some speculating about the environmental impact and others questioning the viability of EV shipping.

While the Morning Midas has not been confirmed to have sunk, the precedent set by the Felicity Ace suggests that prolonged burning could lead to structural failure. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the technological and logistical hurdles facing the global transition to electric mobility, particularly in the high-stakes arena of maritime transport.

[End]

EV companies can boast about their supposed 500-mile-range EVs all they want, but the fact is they are still using 1980s-era technology in their batteries, and those batteries are an environmental menace. Until the industry comes up with a truly revolutionary quantum-leap in its battery tech, it will never be a truly scalable alternative to the internal combustion engine.

Until that time, EVs will remain what they have been for 125 years: A niche vehicle for the wealthy upper class, a bright, shiny virtue signaling object with little utility for the masses.

That is all.

BOTTOMLINE: “EV companies can boast about their supposed 500-mile-range EVs all they want, but the fact is they are still using 1980s-era technology in their batteries, and those batteries are an environmental menace. Until the industry comes up with a truly revolutionary quantum-leap in its battery tech, it will never be a truly scalable alternative to the internal combustion engine.”