Cargo Ship Explodes In Baltimore Harbor Where Key Bridge Previously Collapsed

Cargo ships in the Baltimore Harbor cannot catch a break.

A cargo ship in the Baltimore Harbor exploded on Monday morning.

The cargo ship, which was transporting coal, exploded as it was about to make its way to East Africa.

The explosion occurred at the exact location where the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed last year.

ABC News had more details to share on the explosion:

Investigators on Tuesday were trying to determine what caused an explosion aboard a cargo ship laden with coal as it departed Baltimore’s harbor for East Africa.

Officials said no one was injured in the blast Monday evening, which prompted a mayday call when it was reported near the site of last year’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. Video of the explosion showed flames shooting high into the air, followed by a large plume of dark smoke billowing over the Patapsco River.

The Port of Baltimore’s main shipping channel was closed Tuesday morning.

“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,” port officials said in a news release.

The 751-foot (229-meter) merchant vessel W-Sapphire was en route from Baltimore to East Africa, according to marine tracking websites. 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. Officials said it was transporting coal.

🚨 BREAKING: A cargo ship has just EXPLODED in Baltimore Harbor in Maryland

You can actually see the bridge which COLLAPSED after being rammed by a ship last year

Cause & casualties currently unknown.

Pray for any innocent crew members🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/HhO0iFuHpd

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 18, 2025

Port of Baltimore can’t catch a break.
Cargo ship suffers explosion. What’s remaining of the Key Bridge in the background. pic.twitter.com/nyvAjYxQjW

— LibertyLark (@Usetheschwartz_) August 18, 2025

WBALTV provided the latest update:

The Fort McHenry Federal Channel was reopened Tuesday after an apparent explosion on a ship near the Key Bridge site closed it on Monday.

ADVERTISEMENT

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.