No injuries after explosion aboard bulker in Patapsco River, officials say

An explosion occurred aboard a commercial vessel in the Patapsco River near the former Key Bridge site on Monday evening around 6:30 pm.

The Baltimore City Fire Department (BCFD) noted in a Facebook post that the vessel remained afloat with 23 people on board and no injuries were reported.

According to Baltimore City Fire, firefighters responded by both land and water, including the department’s fireboats.

They saw signs of damage consistent with a fire and explosion when they arrived at the scene of the W-Sapphire 751-foot bulk carrier.

All 23 people on board the Liberia-flagged bulk carrier were accounted for and uninjured. As it is reported, the vessel was being assisted by tug boats.

Authorities say this is a unified incident involving the ship’s owner, the Baltimore City Fire Department, the Port of Baltimore, and the United States Coast Guard.

Fireboats remain on scene as the Coast Guard and other agencies begin their investigation.

The 81681-dwt W-Sapphire (2012-built), managed by an Athens-based company, will be moved to a designated anchorage area and held there until cleared