Explosion Erupts on Cargo Ship Near Baltimore

First responders rushed to the Patapsco River after a bulk carrier erupted in flames near the Key Bridge.

An aerial view of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed on March 26, 2024 due to a cargo ship strike in Baltimore on Oct. 27, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

A fiery explosion was seen on the bow of a cargo ship leaving Baltimore Harbour on Monday.

In footage of the incident posted to social media, the huge fireball was seen erupting in an apparent explosion near the Baltimore Key Bridge on the Patapsco River around 6:30 p.m. local time.

First responders have identified the vessel as a commercial 751-foot bulk carrier named the MV W-Sapphire. The ship was flying a Liberian flag.

The Baltimore City Fire Department, which operates a full-time fireboat to respond to fires and other emergencies on the Chesapeake Bay, was the first to respond to the incident. The U.S. Coast Guard also responded.

Crew onboard confirmed that all 23 members of the ship’s crew were safe and did not sustain injuries, the department said in an update on social media.

The vessel remained afloat. It was being assisted by two tug boats at the time of the incident.

Baltimore City fire spokesperson John Marsh told WBAL-TV that the situation had been brought under control.

The ship has since been moved by the Coast Guard out of the shipping channel “to a designated anchorage area and held there until cleared,” Marsh told reporters.

The vessel had left the CSX Coal Dock in the harbor around 5:45 p.m., Mike Singer, a member of the Baltimore and Chesapeake Bay Shipwatchers group, told WBAL-TV.

He said the ship was carrying coal, with Port Louis, Mauritius, as its intended destination. Mauritius is a small Island east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.

The U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies are investigating the incident to determine the cause of the explosion.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said in a post on X that “agencies are responding to the situation near Baltimore Harbor” and that officials from all levels of government were closely monitoring it.

“Additional information will be provided as it becomes available,” he said.

The incident occurred as the nearby Baltimore Key Bridge is being rebuilt after a major collision.

Last March, the massive Dali container ship lost power and ran into a supporting column of the bridge, causing it to collapse and shutting down the critical artery road, which has led to traffic congestion in the area.

The new bridge, estimated to cost more than $1.7 billion, is projected to be completed by the fall of 2028 at the earliest. The original Francis Scott Key Bridge was completed in 1977 and took five years of construction.