A cargo ship carrying around 3,000 vehicles, including more than 750 electric and hybrid cars, has been abandoned by its crew after a fire broke out.
According to the vessel's manager, Zodiac Maritime, 22 crew members were safely evacuated from the ship as they were unable to put the blaze out.
The London-based company said it was now focused on salvaging the vessel after it was abandoned off the coast of Alaska.
Zodiac Maritime said smoke was originally "seen rising from a deck loaded with electric vehicles", although it has not been confirmed if this was the cause, Reuters reported.
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All 22 crew members were evacuated from the vessel after trying to extinguish the fire
REUTERS
It is also unclear which car brands were being carried by the Liberian-flagged vessel. It is managed by a UK company.
Posting on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, the US Coast Guard reported that the Morning Midas was located 300 miles southwest of Adak in Alaska.
It clarified that there were 3,048 vehicles on board, with 70 pure battery electric vehicles and 681 partial hybrid vehicles.
It added that there were no reported injuries, with three vessels on scene to assist with tackling the blaze.
US Coast Guard ship Cutter Munro is being sent to the area, in addition to the launch of a C-130J Super Hercules aircrew and an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter.
The US Coast Guard is assisting in the attempt to extinguish the fire
REUTERS
The US Coast Guard stated that the status of the fire is currently unknown, although smoke is still emanating from the vessel.
Reuters reported that the ship left China's Yantai port on May 26, and was travelling towards Lazaro Cardenas in Mexico.
Rear Admiral Megan Dean, commander of the Coast Guard's Seventeenth District, said: "As the search and rescue portion of our response concludes, our crews are working closely with the vessel's manager, Zodiac Maritime, to determine the disposition of the vessel.
"We are grateful for the selfless actions of the three nearby vessels who assisted in the response and the crew of motor vessel Cosco Hellas, who helped save 22 lives."
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A report from Allianz Commercial stated that there were "a number of issues" container ships face when exposed to fires, including the inadequacy of fire-fighting equipment.
Another report from the insurer on lithium-ion batteries reported that the maritime industry continues to be concerned by fires on board vessels, which are "associated with lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles".
It stated that common causes of Li-ion batteries could relate to internal manufacturing defects, physical damage or substandard quality.
These fires are often very difficult to extinguish, burn more "ferociously" and are " capable of spontaneously reigniting hours or even days after they have been put out."
There are more than 3,000 vehicles on board the Morning Midas
REUTERS
Research from the Civil Contingencies Agency in Sweden reported that the number of fires involving electric cars was 23, representing just 0.004 per cent of the nation's 611,000 EVs.
In comparison, the country's 4.4 million petrol and diesel cars have contributed to 34,000 fires, or 0.08 per cent of its fleet.
Three years ago, 4,000 luxury cars, including Porsches and Bentleys, caught fire and sank after almost two weeks near the Portuguese Azores.
The Felicity Ace lost an estimated $400million (£294.8million) worth of cargo, with Audi, Volkswagen and Lamborghini all affected by the incident.
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