A tug has reached the Morning Midas, six days after a presumed battery fire broke out, causing the crew to abandon ship.

The vessel, operated by the British firm Zodiac Marine, was transporting 3,000 cars – 800 of them electric – from China to Mexico on June 3, when the crew noticed smoke billowing out of the level where the electric cars are parked. They tried to tackle the blaze but had to take to the lifeboats, after which a merchant craft that responded to their mayday message rescued them.

The ship continued to burn and drifted northeast at approximately 1.8 miles per hour (1.6 knots/2.9 kmh), the US Coast Guard said on Monday. It is currently 220 miles (354 km) south of Adak, America's westernmost city, located in the Aleutian Islands.

That's going to take more than a lick of paint to fix – Pic: US Coast Guard

The case highlights the dangers of working with lithium batteries, particularly when sea water is involved. Since it is a much better conductor of electricity than fresh water, salt water has been shown to short out some batteries, causing a runaway thermal reaction.

Once a lithium fire starts, it's incredibly difficult to put out. A specially developed powder is usually used to starve the fire of oxygen - a matter complicated by the battery occasionally flaring up again after seemingly being extinguished.

On Monday, the tug Gretchen Dunlap arrived to survey the scene. There's no report that it has managed to secure a line on the abandoned vessel, but given the weather conditions - 45-50 knot winds and six foot (1.8 meter) seas - it could be rather difficult.

A Zodiac spokesperson told The Register that the tug was carrying salvage experts and specialized equipment to make the ship safe. Another two ships with firefighting and long-distance towing capability are on their way to the scene and, so far, the team on site reports that the vessel is still watertight and there's no visible pollution apart from the smoke.

The safety of the public, responders, and vessel crews operating in the area remains our top priority

"The safety of the public, responders, and vessel crews operating in the area remains our top priority," said Rear Admiral Megan Dean, commander of the Coast Guard’s Seventeenth District. "We are working closely with Zodiac Maritime to ensure a safe and effective plan to address the fire and mitigate any potential impacts to the environment.”

The last reported case of this kind of fire at sea happened in 2022 aboard the car transporter Felicity Ace, which was carrying nearly 4,000 vehicles. In that case, it was determined that a lithium battery in a Porsche ignited. The ship was abandoned until it burned out, then it sank while under tow to harbor.

Clearly, Zodiac is going to try and get the fire under control in this case, but the longer it burns, the greater the risk of the hull failing. According to the Coast Guard the two remaining tugs should be on site in the next two weeks. ®