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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →The Morning Midas sank after a June 2025 fire, with about 3,000 vehicles aboard, including 800 electric vehicles. But the fact that smoke was first reported from a deck carrying EVs does not establish that an electric car started the fire: the European Maritime Safety Agency’s review said the origin and cause were still unknown while the casualty remained under investigation.
What happened aboard the Morning Midas?
The 600-foot vehicle carrier was transporting cars toward Mexico when it caught fire in the North Pacific in June 2025. The Associated Press reported about 3,000 vehicles aboard, 800 of them electric, and said all 22 crew members were safe after they abandoned ship. Onboard suppression efforts had failed to bring the flames under control. The AP reported that smoke was first seen at the stern, on a deck loaded with EVs, citing Coast Guard imagery and a statement from the ship’s management company. Associated Press, June 2025
That reported location is not a confirmed ignition source. The EMSA technical and regulatory review lists the casualty on June 3, 2025, and says its origin and cause were unknown and the investigation was ongoing at the time of the review. It notes the report that the fire originated on a deck carrying EVs; it does not conclude that an EV caused it. European Maritime Safety Agency, Technical and regulatory review
Did an electric car cause the fire?
There is no confirmed finding in the cited EMSA review that an electric car ignited the fire. Cargo composition and the deck where smoke was first reported are not enough to identify the vehicle, component or event that started it. The cause should therefore be described as unresolved in that review, not as a proven EV battery fire.
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A separate vessel casualty shows why that distinction matters. The National Transportation Safety Board found that the probable cause of the 2020 fire aboard the vehicle carrier Höegh Xiamen was an electrical fault involving an improperly disconnected battery in a used vehicle. The NTSB identified ineffective oversight of vehicle loading as the reason the issue went unnoticed. It also found that delayed reactivation of fire detection after loading and a delayed decision to release the fixed carbon-dioxide system contributed to detection delay and the fire’s extent. The NTSB finding concerns that casualty; it does not establish the cause of the Morning Midas fire. NTSB, Fire aboard Vehicle Carrier Höegh Xiamen
How do the major vehicle-carrier fires compare?
| Vessel and date | Vehicles and fire cause | Outcome and investigation findings |
|---|---|---|
| Morning Midas, June 2025 | About 3,000 vehicles, including 800 EVs, according to the AP. Cause unknown in the cited EMSA review; smoke was reported from a deck carrying EVs. | The 22 crew members abandoned ship and were reported safe. The ship sank after the fire. The cited review said the casualty remained under investigation. AP; EMSA |
| Fremantle Highway, July 2023 | 3,784 new cars, including 498 electric cars, according to the Dutch government registry summary of the Panama Maritime Authority investigation. The summary does not establish a specific ignition cause. | The fire spread beyond control within 40 minutes. Seven crew members jumped overboard; one died and the others were rescued by helicopter. The investigation summary identified issues involving vehicle identification and stowage, crew knowledge, cameras and thermal imaging, and coastguard communications. Government of the Netherlands registry summary, January 26, 2026 |
| Höegh Xiamen, June 2020 | The NTSB attributed the fire to an electrical fault involving an improperly disconnected battery in a used vehicle—not an EV battery finding. | The investigation cited ineffective loading oversight, delayed fire-detection reactivation and a delayed decision to release the fixed CO₂ system as factors in detection delay and fire extent. NTSB investigation |
The incidents are not a statistical comparison: the available summaries do not provide a common denominator or consistent incident definitions that would support comparing casualty rates. They do show that a shipboard vehicle fire can involve different causes and that detection, loading practices and emergency response matter alongside the type of vehicle carried.
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Are electric cars more likely to catch fire?
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority says current statistics indicate battery electric vehicles are less likely to catch fire than conventional internal-combustion vehicles, and states: “Electric vehicle battery fires are rare.” That relative-frequency statement is separate from the challenges of managing a battery fire once it occurs. AMSA Marine Notice 2023/07, Guidance for the safe carriage of battery powered vehicles on ships
AMSA warns that gases from a BEV fire can form a toxic, potentially explosive vapour cloud and that a battery may re-ignite. Its 2023 guidance gives figures of 6,000 litres of vapour per kilowatt-hour of battery power and 330,000 litres for a 55 kWh battery. These are the agency’s published guidance figures, not a guarantee of the amount produced in every fire. The notice also warns that hydrogen fluoride may be present and can be corrosive and toxic.
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What makes a vehicle fire at sea difficult to manage?
A fire in a vehicle carrier presents a confined, complex emergency: crews need to locate the fire, identify what is burning, understand the hazards, and coordinate a response while the vessel and cargo spaces constrain access. A battery fire can add toxic and potentially explosive gases and the possibility of re-ignition. Those are response challenges; they do not mean EVs are more likely to catch fire.
The Fremantle Highway investigation summary points to practical readiness issues: distinguishing and locating EVs in the cargo, crew familiarity with battery-fire hazards, detection equipment and timely communication with shore authorities. For a separate casualty, the Höegh Xiamen investigation documented delays in restoring fire detection after loading and releasing the fixed CO₂ system. These are specific findings from separate investigations, not a single cause shared by all ship fires.
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- Must-Have Car Safety Essential: Compact yet expansive (6m x 9m / 19.7ft × 29.5ft), this car emergency fire blanket fits in your trunk but unfolds to fully cover vehicles. A critical addition to emergency kits—because it’s better to be prepared. Includes a sturdy storage bag for quick access
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What do official guidance and rulemaking say?
AMSA’s shipboard response guidance
AMSA advises investigating leaks beneath a vehicle because battery-casing damage may be involved. Its notice discusses water deluge, ventilation, protection from toxic fumes, decontamination and continued monitoring for re-ignition. It lists high-voltage-rated gloves, a defibrillator and a gas detector for analysing the atmosphere for explosive gases as equipment for personnel responding aboard ship. This is professional shipboard guidance, not instructions for untrained bystanders to approach or fight a vehicle fire. AMSA Marine Notice 2023/07
IMO work on ships carrying new-energy vehicles
At its March 4–8, 2024 meeting, the IMO Sub-Committee on Ship Systems and Equipment endorsed a roadmap and goal-based approach to reducing fire risk on ships carrying new-energy vehicles, including BEVs. The described work included reviewing studies and casualty reports, identifying hazards, assessing gaps in SOLAS chapter II-2, and developing possible functional requirements for detection, control, containment and suppression, including risks beyond heat and smoke. The IMO meeting summary describes work being carried forward; it is not evidence that the contemplated amendments were adopted. IMO, SSE 10th session summary
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Why an EV aboard a burning ship is not proof of cause
The same caution applies to later vessel fires. In a September 18, 2026 statement about the MV June Aster, the Philippines’ Maritime Industry Authority said its investigation was ongoing and no final finding established that the EV aboard caused that fire. MARINA Official Statement
For the Morning Midas, the responsible account is narrower than the headline shorthand: the ship carried EVs, the first reported smoke came from a deck carrying them, and the EMSA review found the origin and cause unknown at the time it was published. The incident underscores the importance of fire detection, cargo identification, crew preparation and containment without proving that an EV started the fire.
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