Zodiac Maritime Responds to Fire on Morning Midas

Zodiac Maritime, based in London, has activated an emergency response plan following a fire onboard its car carrier Morning Midas.

The incident occurred shortly after midnight on June 3, while the vessel was sailing across the Pacific Ocean, approximately 1,900 kilometers from Anchorage, Alaska, en route to Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico. Zodiac confirmed that all 22 crew members are safe, accounted for, and unharmed.

The Morning Midas, built in 2006, was transporting about 3,000 vehicles at the time—roughly 800 of which are electric. Smoke was first detected coming from a deck where electric vehicles were stored.

Crew members quickly began onboard firefighting procedures and deployed the ship’s fire suppression systems. Despite their immediate response, the fire proved too difficult to contain using the ship’s onboard resources.

Following consultation with the U.S. Coast Guard, all crew were evacuated using lifeboats and are currently being transferred to a nearby merchant ship that responded to the emergency.

Authorities have been alerted, and a salvage tug has been dispatched to assist with firefighting and recovery efforts.

According to shipping data from Equasis, the Morning Midas is jointly owned by Zodiac Maritime and Hawthorn Navigation, with Zodiac also serving as the vessel’s manager.