Race is on to save Zodiac Maritime vehicle carrier as big ro-ro ship infernos mount up
- The ongoing Morning Midas incident is the 13th serious fire on board a deepsea ro-ro type ship in the past 10 years
- The 46,800 gt vessel is hundreds of miles from land and salvage personnel will not arrive at the incident scene until Monday, June 9
- Fire has similarities to the Felicity Ace incident, when a fire prevailed for several days and resulted in the sinking of the vessel in mid-Atlantic
Of the serious fire incidents on board large ro-ro vessels in the past 10 years, six ships were declared as constructive total losses, while two ships sank in deep waters. A total of six seafarers and two stevedores lost their lives in three of the incidents
THE fire that is continuing to rage in the Pacific Ocean on board the 5,000 ceu vehicle carrier Morning Midas (IMO: 9289910) brings the total number of serious fire incidents on large ro-ro type ships to 13 over the past decade.
It is the third serious fire to occur on board such vessels in 2025 (see below table).
All 22 crew members on board the 2006-built vessel were safely evacuated by lifeboat, after firefighting efforts had to be abandoned; they were picked up by the nearby 9,000 teu containership Cosco Hellas (IMO: 9308510).
Crew members on board other vehicle carriers and deepsea ro-ro cargoships that suffered serious fire incidents have not been so lucky.
According to Lloyd’s List Intelligence data, of the serious fire incidents on board large ro-ro vessels over the past 10 years, six ships were declared as constructive total losses, while two ships sank in deep waters. A total of six seafarers lost their lives in two of the incidents.
In 2023, one crew member died when K Line’s 6,200 ceu Fremantle Highway (IMO: 9667344) suffered a fire on a vehicle deck in the North Sea.
In 2018, five crew members lost their lives following a fire in the Pacific Ocean on board the Mitsui OSK Lines-operated Sincerity Ace (IMO: 9519092).
Stevedores and firefighters have also lost their lives after fires broke out on two large ro-ro vessels while loading operations were ongoing at ports.
In 2023, two firefighters died when fire broke out on a car deck on board Grimaldi Group’s 47,200 gt Grande Costa D’Avorio (IMO: 9465382) while alongside at New York.
A further 20 non-serious fire incidents on board large ro-ros, where fire was able to be contained effectively, are listed by Lloyd’s List Intelligence as having occurred over the past 10 years.
The Morning Midas incident occurred some 300 miles from land and hundreds of miles away from any port from where a firefighting salvage vessel is available.
Morning Midas’ owner, UK-headquartered Zodiac Maritime, was swift to engage a salvage company to respond to the ongoing fire, but a salvage tug is not expected to arrive at the scene of the incident until at least Monday, June 9.
The cause of the fire remains unknown at this stage, but the vessel’s cargo comprises 3,048 vehicles, including 70 electric cars and 681 hybrid-electric cars, presumed to be equipped with lithium-ion batteries. Zodiac Maritime has confirmed that the fire started on a deck loaded with electric vehicles.
The time-charterer of the vessel is understood to be SAIC Anji Logistics, a subsidiary of China’s fourth-largest car manufacturer, SAIC Motor. It was operating a liner service from China to Mexico and the US port of Portland when fire broke out on Tuesday, June 3.
The latest vehicle carrier casualty has similarities to the Felicity Ace (IMO: 9293911) fire, which occurred in the Atlantic Ocean on February 16, 2022. The master of the ship reported flames emanating from its main deck and all 22 personnel on board were evacuated to other vessels in the area.
The 2005-built vessel had sailed from the German port of Emden with 4,000 cars, valued at $400m, for the Volkswagen-Audi Group and was bound for the US east coast.
In attempts to extinguish the fire, salvage tugs discharged large amounts of water on to the vessel.
The ingress of water is thought to have caused the ship to lose stability, with the Mitsui OSK Lines-owned vessel subsequently sinking on March 1.
With the ship having sunk in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the cause of the fire remains unknown. However, thermal runaway of lithium-ion batteries fitted to numerous electric vehicles on board was suggested as a catalyst for the fire.
In addition to the Morning Midas incident, two other serious fire incidents have occurred this year, both on board vessels owned by Italy’s Grimaldi Group.
On February 18, fire broke out on two vehicle decks on the 56,000 gt deepsea ro-ro cargoship Grande Brasile (IMO: 9198123) while passing through the southbound lane of the English Channel.
The 2000-built ship was later taken under tow to Antwerp, but was so badly damaged that it was sold to Turkish ship recyclers where it arrived, under tow, in April.
A second large Grimaldi ro-ro cargoship suffered a fire incident on its ro-ro deck during the same month.
The fire occurred on board the 47,600 gt Grande Congo (IMO: 9437921) while the vessel was sailing off the coast of Bermuda, en route from Spain to the US east coast.
The vessel encountered heavy weather that led to cargo shifting on one its ro-ro decks, which subsequently caused a fire. The fire was eventually extinguished using CO2, but significant damage was reported to the vessel’s deck plating and hydraulic systems and electrical systems.
The 2010-built ship has since been repaired and returned to service.
Following the increase in fire incidents over the past decade, the transport of electric vehicles in ro-ro type ships has come under increased scrutiny from the marine insurance industry.
However, most shipowners claim that electric vehicles provide no more risk to their vessels than vehicles that use conventional batteries. More concern has been expressed about the carriage of secondhand internal combustion engine vehicles, which have been attributed as the cause of several of the more serious ro-ro casualties.
Nevertheless, following the Felicity Ace incident, major vehicle carrier operators introduced restrictions on electric vehicle lithium-ion battery charging to a maximum of 30%.
A lower state of charge will mean it takes longer for a battery to go into thermal runaway, should a fire ignite. Thermal runaway is caused when high temperatures create a chemical reaction within a lithium-ion cell, which results in an uncontrollable self-heating state. Previously, such batteries were charged at up to 70%.
Colin Gillespie, global head of loss prevention at P&I club NorthStandard, confirmed that no serious incidents have yet to be proven to have emanated from electric vehicles.
Gillespie, who was a key figure in setting up the Vehicle Carrier Safety Forum in 2020, which involves stakeholders in the vehicle carrier supply chain, told Lloyd’s List that it was clear since the mid-2010s that there has been an increase in serious incidents involving large ro-ro type vessels.
The forum has grown to include 80 companies, including ro-ro shipowners, and is looking at the best ways to manage risk following the rise in serious incidents.
He told Lloyd’s List that early intervention in firefighting is key to ensuring vehicle carrier fires do not end in catastrophe.
“Time is of the essence to prevent danger to seafarers. The ships are getting bigger, but cars are also getting bigger and have more combustible materials than in the past.
“Because of the design of these ships, where cars are stowed very close together, fires can spread very quickly. The means of controlling fires have to be used early,” said Gillespie.
He noted that improved fixed firefighting systems, including additional CO2 capacity, are being fitted to the latest pure car and truck carriers, with shipowners introducing more advanced detection systems, including thermal imaging, to provide the earliest intervention possible.
Earlier publication of accident reports, which currently can take several years, would also assist in analysing the cause of the upturn in serious fire incidents, he said.
Gillespie noted: “There needs to be a lot more considered analysis by authorities in looking at these incidents and, if we can get those incident reports in to the public domain faster, we can use them to learn and get better.”
