BALTIMORE — A fireball ripped through the ship W Sapphire on Monday evening as the vessel sailed outbound from Baltimore near the site of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, igniting an emergency response from the U.S. Coast Guard and local crews.
The explosion was recorded at 6:28 p.m., when flames erupted from the ship’s forward hold as it passed Fort Howard. StreamTime LIVE cameras positioned on the harbor captured the blast, showing a burst of fire towering above the vessel against the backdrop of the ruined bridge.
According to the Coast Guard, the W Sapphire — a 751-foot Liberian-flagged ship transporting coal — had 23 crewmembers and two pilots aboard when the explosion occurred south of Fort Carroll. No injuries were reported. The fire was extinguished, and the cause is under investigation.
Responders from Coast Guard Sector Maryland–National Capital Region were dispatched after receiving the vessel’s distress call over VHF channel 16 around 6:30 p.m. The Coast Guard has since established a 2,000-yard safety zone around the site, extending from the Key Bridge to Brewerton Angle Channel Lighted Buoy 14, while plans for the ship are being formulated.
Coast Guard boat crews from Curtis Bay and Annapolis joined Baltimore Fire Department units and Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police in the response.
The incident unfolded in the shadow of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed on March 26, 2024, after the containership Dali struck a support pier, killing six workers and disrupting East Coast shipping. The proximity of Monday’s explosion renewed concerns over risks facing ships transiting Baltimore Harbor during ongoing recovery efforts.
The ship remains under Coast Guard observation while safety inspections continue.
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Only a matter of time before the bay bridge goes bye bye now