The car carrier Morning Midas, adrift off the coast of Alaska, is still burning, with the first salvage tug arriving at the scene on Monday, as reported by Splash.
The tug Gretchen Dunlap arrived Monday afternoon with salvage personnel and has begun a full assessment of the conditions on scene. An additional two vessels are scheduled to arrive in approximately six days, while the second should arrive in around 12 days.
The fire on the Zodiac Maritime-managed car carrier with 3,048 vehicles aboard, including over 700 fully electric or hybrid electric vehicles, started a week ago, during the vessel’s voyage from Mexico to Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico. The vessel is chartered to China’s SAIC Anji Logistics. It is located some 355 km south of Adak.
The 22-person crew abandoned ship and were rescued by the 2006-built, 9,469 teu containership Cosco Hellas.
The car carrier is carrying around 350 tonnes of gas fuel and 1,530 tonnes of very low-sulphur fuel oil.
A Coast Guard C-130J Super Hercules aircraft conducted an overflight of the car carrier on Sunday and observed no signs of pollution. The vessel’s watertight integrity remains intact. However, images from the overflight show that the fire has caused considerable damage to the entire vessel.
The Coast Guard, Zodiac Maritime, and the salvage company Resolve Marine are developing comprehensive salvage and safety plans.
The vessel’s position and condition are being tracked through regular overflights, and drift analysis is conducted using information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Response and Restoration.
As of 7 am local time on Monday, the Morning Midas was reported to be drifting northeast at approximately 2.9 kmph.
#UPDATE 3: Vessel approx. 220 mi south of Adak, drifting NE at 1.8 mph. Tug Gretchen Dunlap arrived on scene today & began assessments. 2 additional vessels scheduled to arrive within 2 weeks. No signs of pollution.
📸 From yesterday
More: https://t.co/Z7YAe9JsK1 https://t.co/hXJIDds6mU pic.twitter.com/eh6vw1Iy5V— USCGAlaska (@USCGAlaska) June 10, 2025