3,000 new cars lost on sunken cargo ship off the coast of Alaska were likely worth millions of dollars
Published on Jun 26, 2025 at 5:47 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Jun 26, 2025 at 5:54 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
A cargo ship sank off the coast of Alaska this week with 3,000 new cars worth millions of dollars on board.
The ship called ‘Morning Midas’ sank on June 23, 2025, in the Pacific Ocean, about 450 miles southwest of Alaska’s Adak Island.
The massive cargo ship caught fire on June 3 and was burning for three weeks before it ultimately sank.
The ship was carrying thousands of new cars including electric and hybrid vehicles, and the financial loss amounts to millions of dollars.
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The Morning Midas cargo ship sank off Alaska
Morning Midas was a Liberian-flagged cargo ship operated by Zodiac Maritime and en route from Asia to Mexico when it caught fire.
All 22 crew members were fortunately safely evacuated shortly after the fire and rescued by a nearby ship.
When it sank, the ship was carrying 1,530 tons of low-sulfur fuel oil and 350 tons of marine gas oil, raising pollution concerns.
These ships carrying electric cars are becoming an increasingly common sight.
This huge BYD ship is currently carrying 7,000 Chinese NEVs to Europe on its first voyage.
What will happen to the cars that sank?
The Morning Midas was carrying 3,048 vehicles, including 681 hybrids and 70 EVs.
The vehicles were likely worth millions of dollars, with some reports estimating the total value to be in the hundreds of millions.
Unfortunately, because the vessel sank in water that was about 16,400 feet (5,000 meters) deep, recovery seems unlikely.
In terms of the environmental risk posed, no fuel leakage has been detected so far.
However, pollution-control teams are remaining on site to monitor.
The case mirrors the 2022 Felicity Ace incident, where a fire aboard another EV-laden cargo ship led to its sinking.
The lithium-ion batteries in electric cars are suspected to have contributed to the fire’s severity, reigniting safety debates – with EV batteries that fully recharge in 18 seconds just given the green light to be mass produced.
Thankfully, China has had a breakthrough in EV battery safety standards that some claim will make fires impossible.
Authorities, including the US Coast Guard, are investigating the cause of this incident, while the company coordinates pollution prevention efforts.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
