Explosion Halts Traffic at Port of Baltimore
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The Fort McHenry Federal Channel in Baltimore after an explosion aboard the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier W Sapphire the previous evening.
The incident, which occurred in the Patapsco River on Aug. 18, has halted vessel traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore. The U.S. Coast Guard is leading the response.
The U.S. Coast Guard is the lead agency in the response and will determine when the channel can safely reopen, as well as the timing of vessel arrivals and departures, the port said in a statement posted to social media. We are working closely with the Coast Guard and our port partners to monitor the situation.
The port added that updates on the status of the channel will be provided as information becomes available. Inquiries related to the incident are being directed to the Coast Guard.
MV W Sapphire, outbound from Baltimore near the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, suffered an explosion in its forward hold.
The ship has been escorted off Fort Howard and fire and vessels are on scene.
W Sapphire is a fully loaded bulk carrier sailing to Mauritius. Sal Mercogliano (WGOW Shipping) Ｔ返氯儭 (@mercoglianos)
The Coast Guard said the 751-foot vessel was outbound from Baltimore Harbor with 23 crew members and two pilots aboard when the explosion occurred around 6:30 p.m. Aug. 18 near Fort Carroll. No injuries were reported, and the fire was extinguished. The cause of the blast .
No timeline has been released for when vessel traffic may resume through the Fort McHenry Federal Channel, the primary route for deep-draft ships entering and leaving the Port of Baltimore.
The W Sapphire and was bound for Mauritius when the blast occurred at about 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 18.
The incident comes as Baltimore continues to recover from the March 26, 2024, collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which killed six workers and closed the port for months while debris blocked its main shipping channel.
Generative AI assisted in the creation of this story. At least two staff editors reviewed the copy before publication.
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