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| -Short Attention Span Theater- | ||
| Officials: No injuries after cargo ship explosion near Key Bridge | ||
| 2025-08-20 | ||
| [WBALTV] The Fort McHenry Federal Channel was reopened Tuesday after an apparent explosion on a ship near the Key Bridge site closed it on Monday. Baltimore City Fire Department spokesman John Marsh said no injuries were reported aboard the merchant vessel W-Sapphire, a 751-foot bulk carrier that had a crew of 23 people. Marsh said the carrier showed "signs of damage consistent with a fire and explosion." The Coast Guard told 11 News the ship was outbound from the harbor on Monday when the explosion occurred.
"The U.S. Coast Guard has reopened the Fort McHenry Federal Channel into and out of the Port of Baltimore. We appreciate the great work of the Coast Guard, tugs, pilots, and other port partners to reopen the channel as quickly as possible. We also thank our customers for their patience and understanding through this incident." Mike Singer, a member of the Baltimore and Chesapeake Bay Shipwatchers group, told 11 News that the ship was full of coal and had just left the CSX Coal Dock. "The ship was coming out at 47 feet in the water," Singer told 11 News. "That is a full coal ship for this port. Ships come out of here full of coal four to six times per week." The explosion was reported at 6:28 p.m., Singer said. "I just heard a loud boom and a rumble, felt like a vibration," said Tim Holt, a Dundalk resident. "I didn't see any smoke. Then, I heard a ship blew up by the Key Bridge." Investigators told 11 News a hatch blew off and went into the water during the explosion. They were trying to find its exact location and remove it, along with any other debris that could pose a problem. Marsh said firefighters responded by both land and water, and that the ship will be moved to an anchorage area and will remain there until it is cleared by the Coast Guard. The cause of the fire is under investigation, the Coast Guard said. The ship has since been anchored closer to Annapolis, near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. 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. My guess would be coal dust, at first glance.
For Holt, the explosion brought back memories of the Key Bridge collapse. "Bridge gets hit by one ship, then another one blows up in the same place where the ship hit the bridge," Holt said. | ||
| Posted by:Fred |