A ship named Midas, which was about 600 feet long, sank in the Pacific Ocean on Monday. This event comes several weeks after a fire erupted on a deck where an electric vehicle was stored.
The incident first occurred on June 3rd, prompting the crew to abandon ship as it drifted. The ship, owned by Zodiac Maritime based in London, was reportedly carrying around 3,000 cars, with 800 of them being electric vehicles.
The fire damage, combined with harsh weather conditions, ultimately led to the ship’s sinking, the company noted.
Zodiac Maritime mentioned in a statement that, as a precaution, they’ve deployed two rescue tags equipped with pollution control devices to monitor for signs of contamination and debris. Fortunately, the crew remains safe.
Additionally, special containers for addressing contamination have been sent to the location as an extra safety measure.
The company is collaborating with the U.S. Coast Guard and Resolve Marine, a firm that specializes in marine emergency response. However, there haven’t been any immediate responses from either organization regarding the incident.
Most of the vehicles aboard the Midas were manufactured in China and were destined for Mexico. This incident raises serious concerns about the risks posed by lithium-ion batteries, which are commonly found in electric vehicles.
A recent event involving Waymo highlighted similar concerns. They had to pause services for unmanned electric vehicles in downtown Los Angeles after anti-ice demonstrators set fire to five of their cars. Residents were warned to stay clear of the melted metal piles, given that burning batteries can release toxic smoke like hydrogen fluoride.
This isn’t the first episode of its kind; in 2022, the cargo ship Felicity Ace, which had been engulfed in flames for nearly a week, sank in the Atlantic, carrying thousands of high-end cars. Experts at the scene indicated that the abundance of lithium batteries onboard would likely contribute to the fire’s spread, making it burn for an extended period.
