New Footage Shows Abandoned Cargo Ship Laden With Chinese Cars Burning In Pacific

The Morning Midas, a RoRo carrier transporting roughly 3,000 vehicles—including electric vehicles (EVs) from Chinese automakers—was abandoned by its 22-member crew following a fire on Wednesday morning. 

Aerial reconnaissance imagery published on X overnight by the U.S. Coast Guard shows white smoke billowing from Morning Midas’ stern section. 

“The status of the fire is currently unknown, but smoke is still emanating from the vessel,” the Coast Guard wrote in a press release. 

#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.

📸 were taken yesterday.

Press Release: https://t.co/UNQZfYVoUo https://t.co/JD8PxrUfGh pic.twitter.com/tFGnIlqBYW

— USCGAlaska (@USCGAlaska) June 4, 2025

The Coast Guard said the Morning Midas had an estimated 350 metric tons of gas fuel and 1,530 metric tons of very low sulfur fuel oil on board. The ship’s cargo consisted of 3,048 vehicles, including 70 fully electric vehicles and 681 hybrid electric vehicles.

“The Morning Midas was shipping around 3,000 cars from a range of manufacturers, including Chery Automobile Co. and Great Wall Motor Co. to Mexico,” Bloomberg wrote in a report. 

The outlet noted, “It’s unclear at this stage which brand’s electric vehicle caught fire, the people said, who asked not to be identified discussing preliminary findings.” 

Insurance giant Allianz has repeatedly warned about the importance of enhanced safety protocols for maritime shipments involving lithium-ion batteries, citing the global surge in green technology—much of it produced by Chinese manufacturers. 

The incident mirrors the 2023 disaster off the Dutch coast, when a RoRo vessel carrying 3,000 vehicles—including 500 EVs—erupted in flames, raising global concerns over the fire risks while transporting EVs at sea.