EV-Carrying Ship Sinks in Pacific Ocean After Catching Fire

A ship that caught fire in the Pacific Ocean earlier this month has sunk.

The vessel was abandoned in the middle of the pacific — about 360 miles from land — after a blaze. It was carrying about 3,000 vehicles of which about 800 were EVs.

Damaged caused by the fire was compounded by heavy weather, causing the ship to take on water and ultimately sink on June 23, the vessel’s manager, Zodiac Maritime, said in Tuesday’s statement.

Smoke was initially seen emanating from a deck carrying electric vehicles, Zodiac said when the incident first happened.

Demand for lithium-ion batteries, including in EVs, is bringing a new risk to the global shipping industry, particularly given the value of the vehicles on board the largest car-carrying vessels, according to a report last month by insurance giant Allianz.

While the ship’s relative distance from land means that it will sink into ocean that is approximately 5,000 meters deep, it also made a rapid response trickier. The second of three specialist vessels that were due to assist the ship arrived on June 15, more than a week after the fire first broke out.

The vessel was carrying cars from a range of manufacturers including Chery Automobile Co. and Great Wall Motor Co. to Mexico, people familiar with the matter said at the time.