Explosion aboard M/V W-SAPPHIRE; Baltimore, Maryland

6CWR+QX Baltimore, MD, USA | 2025-Aug-19

Initial Notification: At 6:00am on August 19, 2025, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Maryland/NCR notified the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) that at 8:30pm on August 18, an explosion occurred aboard the MV SAPPHIRE, a bulk carrier loaded with coal, on the Patapsco River, Baltimore, Maryland. Cause of explosion is unknown, no pollution reported, no reported damage to fuel tanks. No NOAA support requested at this time.