A cargo ship exploded at the Port of Baltimore in the United States, blocking the waterway

A bulk carrier fully loaded with coal was setting sail from the port of Baltimore, Maryland, for East Africa when an explosion suddenly occurred, causing the main channel of the port to be closed.

According to a press release issued by the US Coast Guard on Tuesday (August 19th), it and its partner agencies are responding to the vessel explosion that occurred at the Port of Baltimore. All vessels are prohibited from passing through the waterway from Sparrows Point to the site of the Francis Scott Key bridge. The bridge collapsed last year due to a ship collision.

U.S. officials said that no one was injured in the cargo ship explosion on Monday (the 18th). After the explosion, the cargo ship sent out a distress signal. It is reported that at that time, the cargo ship was approaching the site of the bridge collapse last year. The film shows that the flames produced by the explosion shot straight into the sky, and then a large amount of thick smoke emerged, enveloping the Patapsco River.

The Coast Guard said that at the time of the explosion, there were 23 crew members and two pilots on the crashed bulk carrier W-Sapphire. The crew is waiting for the verification of the safety situation. After that, the coast guard will board the ship for further investigation.

According to the information from the ship tracking website, the 229-meter-long bulk carrier was originally scheduled to depart from Baltimore for East Africa and is expected to arrive at the Port of Mauritius in about a month. According to information from the website VesselFinder, this ship was built in 2012 and flies the flag of the West African country of Liberia. Officials said that the cargo carried on the ship was coal.

During the explosion, one hatch of the cargo ship detached and fell into the water. The salvage plan for locating and recovering the hatch is under development, but its exact location and potential impact on the waterway remain unclear.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deployed the sonar survey ship Buck to the accident site at about 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday. The Buck is collecting data to determine if there are any conditions on the channel that impede the passage of ships on the Fort McHenry Federal Channel and pose a risk to vessels entering and leaving the Port of Baltimore. These data also help to determine the operation plan needed for the full reopening of federal waterways.

The Maryland Emergency Management Agency said that apart from the vessel itself, no other reports of property damage had been received.