A cargo ship that had been delivering new vehicles to Mexico sank in the North Pacific Ocean, weeks after crew members abandoned ship when they couldn't extinguish an onboard fire that left the carrier dead in the water, the AP reports. The Morning Midas sank Monday in international water off Alaska's Aleutian Islands chain, the ship's management company, London-based Zodiac Maritime, said in a statement. "There is no visible pollution," said Petty Officer Cameron Snell, an Alaska-based US Coast Guard spokesperson. "Right now we also have vessels on scene to respond to any pollution."
Fire damage compounded by bad weather and water seepage caused the carrier to sink in waters about 16,404 feet deep and about 415 miles from land, the statement said. The ship was loaded with new vehicles from China intended for a major Pacific port in Mexico. It was carrying 3,048 vehicles—70 of them fully electric and 681 hybrid electric, per MarineLog. It was not clear if any of the cars were removed before it sank. A salvage crew arrived days after the fire disabled the vehicle. Two salvage tugs containing pollution control equipment will remain on scene to monitor for any signs of pollution or debris, the company said
The Coast Guard said it received a distress alert June 3 about a fire aboard the Morning Midas, which then was roughly 300 miles 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. 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. The fire was no longer active when the Morning Midas sank, but the company was still waiting for a tug to arrive for long-distance towing, Marine Link reports.
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