22 Crew Members Rescued From Lifeboat in North Pacific After Ship Carrying 3,000 Cars Catches Fire

Smoke rises from cargo vessel Morning Midas approximately 300 miles south of Adak, Alaska, on June 3, 2025. U.S. Coast Guard/Courtesy Air Station Kodiak via AP

ANCHORAGE, Alaska—The crew of a cargo ship carrying 3,000 vehicles to Mexico, including 800 electric vehicles, abandoned ship after they could not control a fire aboard the vessel in waters off Alaska’s Aleutian island chain.

A large plume of smoke was initially seen at the ship’s stern coming from the deck loaded with electric vehicles Tuesday, according to U.S. Coast Guard photos and a Wednesday statement from the ship’s management company, London-based Zodiac Maritime.