Apparent explosion on ship near site of Key Bridge leaves no one injured, officials say

WBAL ^ | Khiree Stewart | Jake Shindel

[EinNYC]

Updated: 11:13 PM EDT Aug 18, 2025 Editorial Standards ⓘ Jake Shindel Digital Content Producer Khiree Stewart News Anchor, Reporter BALTIMORE — An apparent explosion on a ship near the site of the Key Bridge has been fully contained, according to Baltimore City fire officials.

Baltimore City fire spokesperson John Marsh said no injuries have been reported on the 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."

Mike Singer, a member of the Baltimore and Chesapeake Bay Shipwatchers group, said the ship was full of coal and had just left the CSX Coal Dock.

The explosion happened at 6:28 p.m., Singer said. The ships come out of the dock four to six times per week, Singer said.

Marsh said firefighters responded by both land and water, and that the ship will be moved to an anchorage area and will remain there until it is cleared by the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard told 11 News the ship was outbound from the harbor on Monday when the explosion occurred.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, the Coast Guard said.

In a statement on X, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said:

"State agencies are responding to the situation near Baltimore Harbor. My office is in touch with local and federal authorities, and we are closely monitoring the situation. "Additional information will be provided as it becomes available."

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TOPICS: Local News
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[EinNYC]

Apparently, no injuries reported.

[Ken522]

Spectacular explosion, considering no injuries .... say a prayer of thanks ....

[T.B. Yoits]

Search still works.

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/4335402/posts

[atomic_dog]

I watched that video and thought about an archive paper I read decades ago where no less a personage than Admiral Rickover, then a Lieutenant researched the explosion on the USS Maine in Havana Harbor and concluded it was the same thing, a coal => methane explosion. The report was never widely disseminated.

The thing about this that I found interesting is the vessel was bound for Mauritius. I've been there twice and it is a very long voyage from Baltimore. We must be selling cheap coal these days.

[Cold Heart]

1800’s US West Coast imported coal from Australia.

The ocean miles are the cheapest part of the shipment.

[PUGACHEV]

Joseph Conrad wrote a remarkable short novel called Youth which I have read at least every ten years since I was a teen-ager, and it means something different to me at each stage in my life. Not to spoil the plot, but the story surrounds the voyage of an old sailing ship carrying coal from Great Brittan to the Orient, which catches fire and explodes on the way.

[Cold Heart]

It’s an interesting point, re-learning something at different stages of your life, having a different aspect. We change, but what was written hasn’t. I am doing that with the Bible.

[DAC21]

Coal dust ignited?

[minnesota_bound]

An apparent explosion on a ship? An apparent explosion on a ship ? An apparent explosion on a ship ?

It went KABOOM!! It was an explosion on the ship!