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| -Land of the Free | ||
| A cargo ship has just EXPLODED in Baltimore Harbor in Maryland | ||
| 2025-08-19 | ||
The explosion near the Francis Scott Key Bridge site raises immediate maritime safety concerns in one of the East Coast's busiest shipping corridors. Federal Sherlocks announced in March that the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) failed to complete a crucial vulnerability assessment that could have identified the Francis Scott Key Bridge as being at high risk of collapse from a ship strike well before last year's disaster. According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the assessment, recommended decades ago, would have highlighted the structural dangers that ultimately led to the bridge's demise when a massive fat merchantman lost power, veered off course, and struck a support pier, killing six construction workers. U.S. Coast Guard crews and firefighters from the city of Baltimore responded to the incident, successfully extinguishing the fire on the still-moving vessel, NBC News reported. All 23 crew members aboard the vessel escaped injury in the dramatic incident that occurred around 6:30 p.m. ET, according to local station WBFF. The W Sapphire, a 751-foot bulk carrier, experienced a fire and explosion while navigating the Patapsco River near the former bridge site. BCFD units responded immediately by both land and water, deploying specialized fireboats to assist the damaged vessel. Despite the severity of the blast, the bulk carrier remained afloat throughout the incident and received critical assistance from tugboats to maintain stability in the busy shipping channel, WBFF reported.
“While initial reports described it as an explosion, officials clarified that the incident involved an under-deck fire that sent smoke billowing into the air. The fire has since been contained, and the vessel is being removed from the channel. The cause of the fire remains under investigation,” it added. According to Fox5DC, witness Jay Steinmetz said that “the name of the ship is the MV W Sapphire,” and VesselFinder described it as “a bulk carrier headed to Mauritius.” Related: Francis Scott Key Bridge: 2024-12-22 Biden signs spending package, averts gov shutdown Francis Scott Key Bridge: 2024-06-15 Pete Buttigieg claims Pride flag symbolizes 'love,' flag praising Jesus is 'insurrectionist symbology' Francis Scott Key Bridge: 2024-05-12 Uncertainty clouds Baltimore businesses' ‘gritty' optimism in aftermath of bridge collapse | ||
| Posted by:Fred |
| #8 You need more clarity and less spittle, JS. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2025-08-19 23:31 |
| #7 That has indeed been a concern since at least the 1990s, Jairong — before that I wasn’t paying attention. It’s not clear to me if our people are so good that attacks have quietly been prevented, whether the attempts were incompetent, or whether the jihadis and other bad actors have been so busy with other projects that they haven’t yet got round to it yet. But given that I am merely a little suburban housewife in faraway Cincinnati, it’s likely I’ll never find out unless something is exploded on purpose. According to this Yahoo/Baltimore Sun article posted an hour ago, coal is considered a hazardous cargo because it does spontaneously explode from time to time. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2025-08-19 15:09 |
| #6 I wasn't even talking about this ship. I just said this is going to be what happens from now on. |
| Posted by: Jairong+Scourge+of+the+Gepids2435 2025-08-19 14:44 |
| #5 Coal dust and out-bound to Mauritius.. Spot-on Ed! https://dnyuz.com/2025/08/19/explosion-on-cargo-ship-closes-baltimore-shipping-channel-near-site-of-2024-bridge-collapse/ |
| Posted by: NoMoreBS 2025-08-19 14:42 |
| #4 Coal explosion. Methane and coal dust. And jerong, it was out bound. |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2025-08-19 08:28 |
| #3 Looks like a grain elevator explosion- carrying wheat to Mauritius? |
| Posted by: Knuckles Grundy1702 2025-08-19 08:17 |
| #2 The deep state pioneered this kind of attack. It's going to become the choice soon. Sneak a merchant ship full of explosives or drones into an enemy port and then blammo. It's going to make loading a ship worse than boarding a plane. Thanks, deep state traitors. |
| Posted by: Jairong+Scourge+of+the+Gepids2435 2025-08-19 05:05 |
| #1 Watch: Cargo Ship Explodes in Chesapeake Bay near Baltimore |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2025-08-19 02:03 |