Explosion on cargo ship closes Baltimore shipping channel near site of 2024 bridge collapse

The W-Sapphire bulk carrier is seen anchored off Sandy Point, Md., the morning after an explosion occurred in one of its holds as it was leaving the Port of Baltimore, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Banner via AP)

BALTIMORE — Investigators on Tuesday were trying to determine what caused an explosion aboard a cargo ship laden with coal as it departed Baltimore’s harbour 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.

The Port of Baltimore’s main shipping channel was closed for several hours Tuesday while crews worked to locate a hatch from the ship that detached during the explosion and fell into the water, officials said. They announced late Tuesday afternoon that the channel had reopened.

The 751-foot (229-metre) merchant vessel W-Sapphire was en route from Baltimore to East Africa, according to marine tracking websites. It was expected to arrive in the Port of Mauritius in about a month. Built in 2012, the ship is currently sailing under a Liberian flag. Officials said it was transporting coal.

There were 23 crewmembers and two pilots aboard at the time of the explosion, according to Coast Guard officials.

The ship is now anchored closer to Annapolis, Maryland, near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

“Crews are awaiting verification to confirm safe conditions before proceeding with further Coast Guard investigations onboard the vessel,” the agency said in a news release Tuesday afternoon.

Baltimore Fire Department spokesperson John Marsh said the agency responded to a fire below deck. There were no reports of property damage beyond the ship, according to the Maryland Department of Emergency Management.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said his office was closely monitoring the situation.

The Coast Guard established a 2,000-yard (1,829-metre) safety zone around the site of the explosion while crews searched for the missing hatch. They used a sonar-equipped survey vessel called Buck to assess the underwater conditions.

The channel was closed for months after the deadly bridge collapse in March 2024, which killed six members of a roadwork crew and effectively brought port operations to a standstill. The bridge was destroyed when the container ship Dali lost power and crashed into one of its supporting columns.

Lea Skene, The Associated Press