A fire aboard the COSCO car carrier Min Jiang Kou forced all 22 crew members to abandon the vessel in the eastern Pacific, about 630 miles (1,000 km) south of Costa Rica.
According to a TradeWinds report, the Marshall Islands-flagged vessel was sailing from Tianjin, China, towards Manta, Ecuador, when an engine-room fire broke out on 6 August. The crew activated the ship’s CO₂ fixed fire-extinguishing system, which initially appeared to contain the blaze.
As a precaution, the US Coast Guard contacted nearby merchant vessels through the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue (AMVER) system and requested assistance. Two vessels — the bulk carrier Jin Hai Ping and tanker Degu — responded to the distress call.
The 22 crew members subsequently evacuated the car carrier and were rescued from their lifeboats by Jin Hai Ping. All crew were reported safe, with no injuries. The vessel is expected to take them to shore upon its arrival in Akita, Japan.
The incident highlights the risks faced by car carriers operating on long-distance Pacific routes, where emergency assistance can be hundreds of miles away. The condition of the Min Jiang Kou and the status of the fire following the crew evacuation were not immediately clear.