A cargo ship transporting thousands of vehicles to Mexico sank in the North Pacific Ocean weeks after a vicious fire forced the crew to abandon the vessel. The ship had 3,00 vehicles on board, including 800 electric vehicles. Cargo Ship Crew Rescued After Vessel Carrying Hundreds Of Electric Vehicles Catches Fire The incident prompted concerns about transporting highly flammable batteries used in electric vehicles. From the New York Post: The 600-foot-long Morning Midas had been adrift at sea since June 3, when flames broke out and the crew was forced to abandon ship. The ship was carrying 3,000 cars, including 800 EVs, when it sank in international waters approximately three miles deep, according to the ship’s owner, London-based Zodiac Maritime. It had been weakened by fire damage and intense weather, the company said. “As a precaution, two salvage tugs containing pollution control equipment remain on site to monitor for any signs of pollution or debris. Their crews are safe,” Zodiac Maritime told The Post in a statement. “A specialized pollution response vessel is also en-route to the location as an additional precaution.” Ship transporting thousands of cars sinks in Pacific after fire, raising concerns about EV batteries https://t.co/fzLIjVSg5z pic.twitter.com/qxNmtW4cAe — New York Post (@nypost) June 24, 2025 More from the Associated Press: The Coast Guard said it received a distress alert June 3 about a fire aboard the Morning Midas, which then was roughly 300 miles (490 kilometers) southwest of Adak Island. There were 22 crew members onboard the Morning Midas. All evacuated to a lifeboat and were rescued by a nearby merchant marine vessel. There were no injuries. Among the cars were about 70 fully electric and about 680 hybrid vehicles. A large plume of smoke was initially seen at the ship’s stern coming from the deck loaded with electric vehicles, the Coast Guard and Zodiac Maritime said at the time. Adak is about 1,200 miles (1,930 kilometers) west of Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city. The 600-foot (183-meter) Morning Midas was built in 2006 and sails under a Liberian flag. The car and truck carrier left Yantai, China, on May 26 en route to Mexico, according to the industry site marinetraffic.com. "The Morning Midas is now resting 16,000 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. After burning for weeks, the car carrier was lost in heavy seas, making it the ninth car carrier lost in just the past decade. The big question now: did electric vehicles play a role in the fire that forced the crew to abandon ship?" StacheD Training asked. "In this video, I walk through the full timeline of the incident, what we know about the fire, why the ship was left adrift for weeks, and what ultimately led to its sinking. I also break down the risks of transporting EVs at sea and why we may never get an official investigation," he added. WATCH: