Investigators are probing the cause of an explosion aboard a coal-carrying cargo ship that shook the Port of Baltimore in the US on Monday evening as it set sail for East Africa.
The blast, which lit up the night sky with towering flames and a thick plume of dark smoke over the Patapsco River, prompted the closure of the Port of Baltimore’s main shipping waterway. No injuries were reported.
According to an AP report, the incident occurred near the site of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in March 2024 when the container ship Dali lost power and crashed into a bridge support, claiming six lives. That incident affected port operations for months.
The 229-metre merchant vessel, W-Sapphire, was departing Baltimore for the Port of Mauritius when the explosion triggered a mayday call. Built in 2012 and sailing under a Liberian flag, the ship was carrying a load of coal with 23 crew members and two pilots on board, according to the US Coast Guard.
Baltimore Fire Department spokesperson John Marsh said firefighters had extinguished a fire below deck. The Maryland Department of Emergency Management reported no property damage beyond the vessel itself.
The US Coast Guard has established a 1 829-metre safety zone around the site. However, it has not yet indicated a timeline for the reopening the shipping channel.
Port officials said the Coast Guard would decide when vessel traffic could safely resume.
