Ship explosion in Baltimore’s harbor near Key Bridge site prompts U.S. Coast Guard response

The U.S. Coast Guard responded to an explosion on board a cargo ship hauling coal in Baltimore’s harbor near the Key Bridge collapse site on Monday, according to U.S. Coast Guard spokesman, Petty Officer Matthew West.

The W-Sapphire, a 751-foot bulk carrier, with 23 people on board, showed signs of damage consistent with a fire and explosion, according to the Baltimore City Fire Department.

“The U.S. Coast Guard and partners are responding to reports of an explosion aboard the merchant vessel W-Sapphire while it was outbound from Baltimore Harbor, Monday,” the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement.  

The cargo ship was assisted back to port

The vessel remained afloat. The fire has been contained, and the ship is being removed from the channel with the help of tugboats, according to Baltimore’s fire department.

A source familiar with the situation said the cargo ship “Sapphire,” from Liberia, is on its way back to port to anchor under its own power.   

The U.S. Coast Guard has deployed assets and is working with partners Baltimore City police and fire department

No injuries were reported. The cause of the explosion is unknown.

Father and son witness the explosion

Jay Steinmetz and his son, Sam, were sailing in the Patapsco River on Monday when they heard a loud sound before they were hit by a plume of smoke.

They said the explosion happened in the area where the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in March 2024.

“We were out sailing and we heard a really loud explosion,” said Jay Steinmitz. “We turned around, and there was a 200-foot plume of smoke. We are like, ‘Holy crap.’ Within two or five minutes, we hear, ‘Mayday, mayday.'”

The father and son had thought initially that work was being done on the remaining portions of the Key Bridge, which started in July.

“We thought it was them doing demolition on the Key Bridge,” said Sam Steinmetz. “We had just passed under the bridge, and the Sapphire ship had passed right by us. It was right next to the bridge, where it happened.”

The Steinmetzes said their first thoughts were to step in and help, but they were in a sailboat, and they saw other vessels race toward the cargo ship.

“You are not sure how many people are on that boat entirely but it was a big explosion and there was a huge cloud of smoke,” Sam Steinmetz said.

Demolition of the Key Bridge

In July, crews started demolition work on the remaining portions of the Key Bridge that were still standing from the collapse after it was struck by a cargo ship.

The Key Bridge’s replacement process is expected to be completed in 2028. 

When touring the progress last month, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore emphasized that the extraordinary work is moving along at a quick pace and said funding is secure for the Key Bridge rebuild. 

“This is a team that has now gotten the permitting done in a matter of months, that’s been able to keep us on track to deliver something that’s going to be powerful,” Moore said.

The demolition efforts are expected to take at least nine months with the use of heavy machinery, the state warned. 

Crews have been removing slabs of concrete piece by piece, six feet at a time, on the remaining structure. 

“They have equipment up there that will essentially peel those slabs off. They set them on a loader that then brings them down,” said Brian Wolfe, the Director of Project Development at the Maryland Transportation Authority.

What will the new Key Bridge look like?

The new, taller, and wider bridge is not in the same spot. It is parallel and several hundred feet to the east, allowing construction to begin at the same time as removal.

“We can actually start rebuilding before the demolition is done,” Wolfe said.

The bridge will be built to current federal interstate standards, and although it will be two lanes in each direction, like the old bridge, it will include wide shoulders that the collapsed bridge lacked.

According to the MDTA, other bridge features include: 

• Two 12-foot lanes in each direction, 10-foot-wide outside shoulders and 4-foot-wide inside shoulders per direction of travel  
• Total Bridge length more than 2 miles  
• Two bridge towers more than 600 feet tall  
• Distance between main span pylons exceeding 1,600 feet 
• Total length of cable-stayed main span exceeding 3,300 feet 
• Expected life span of 100 years

“Our new bridge will also be constructed in accordance with the most advanced industry standards and the very best in infrastructure design,” Gov. Moore said. “We are going to use the best materials available and employ many Marylanders to build it.”