The W-Sapphire was outbound from Baltimore Harbor with 23 crewmembers and 2 pilots aboard and was south of Fort Carroll at the time of the explosion. The vessel was reportedly transporting coal.

Authorities have established a 2,000-yard safety zone around the incident location, spanning from the Key Bridge to Brewerton Angle Channel LB “14”.

The W Sapphire is still anchored just north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

No injuries have been reported, and the fire has been extinguished according to officials. The cause of the explosion remains under investigation as plans for the vessel are being formulated.

Multiple agencies have joined the response effort, including Coast Guard Station Curtis Bay response boat crews, a Coast Guard Station Annapolis response boat crew, Sector Maryland – National Capital Region responders, Baltimore Fire Department crews, and Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police.

Port officials stated they are “working closely with the Coast Guard and our port partners to monitor the situation,” and promised that “updates on the status of the channel will be provided as information becomes available.”

The incident comes about a year and a half after the containership M/V Dali struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the bridge to collapse forcing the closure of the Fort McHenry Channel for about 11 weeks as crews worked to clear the debris.

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