UPDATE: The U.S. Coast Guard has reopened the Fort McHenry Federal Channel into and out of the Port of Baltimore. Port officials expressed appreciation for “the great work of the Coast Guard, tugs, pilots, and other port partners to reopen the channel as quickly as possible” and thanked customers for “their patience and understanding through this incident.”
The U.S. Coast Guard and local partners are continuing to respond to an explosion aboard the 751-foot merchant vessel W-Sapphire in Baltimore Harbor, which has forced the temporary closure of the Fort McHenry Federal Channel.
The incident occurred Monday evening when watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Maryland – National Capital Region received a distress call via VHF channel 16 at approximately 6:30 p.m. from the vessel reporting an explosion onboard.
According to officials, “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.”
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.
As of Tuesday, the Patapsco River had been closed to all vessel traffic between position coordinates 39°11.70’N, 076°31.71’W, near Swan Creek, and 39°12.6’N, 076°29.74’W, near Sparrows Point, extending up to the former location of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Additionally, a 500-yard safety zone has been established around where the vessel is now anchored at position 39°01.4’N, 076°22.10’W, 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.
During the explosion, a hatch detached and entered the water. Recovery plans to locate and retrieve the hatch are under development, but its exact location and potential impact on the navigable channel remain unknown.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deployed the vessel Buck, a sonar-equipped survey vessel, to the incident site at approximately 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. The Buck is collecting data to identify any obstructions to the safe navigation of traffic entering or exiting the Port of Baltimore via the Fort McHenry Federal Channel. This data will help determine the operational plan needed to fully reopen the federal channel.
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.”
Crews are awaiting verification to confirm safe conditions before proceeding with further Coast Guard investigations onboard the vessel. The Coast Guard and partner agencies continue to actively monitor the situation and coordinate recovery efforts to ensure the safety of maritime operations in the area.
By gCaptain