Baltimore Shipping Channel Reopened After Explosion on Cargo Ship Near Site of 2024 Bridge Collapse

Baltimore Shipping Channel Reopened After Explosion on Cargo Ship Near Site of 2024 Bridge Collapse
A Liberian commercial cargo vessel named W-Sapphire, that had an explosion late Monday on-board, is towed by tugboats near the Sandy Point Shoal Light in Annapolis, Md., on Aug. 19, 2025, off the shore of the Sandy Point State Park. Jeffrey F. Bill/The Baltimore Sun via AP
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BALTIMORE—Investigators on Tuesday were trying to determine what caused an explosion aboard a cargo ship laden with coal as it departed Baltimore’s harbor for East Africa.

Officials said no one was injured in the blast Monday evening, which prompted a mayday call when it was reported near the site of last year’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. Video of the explosion showed flames shooting high into the air, followed by a large plume of dark smoke billowing over the Patapsco River.