A 751-foot Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, the MV W Sapphire, experienced a blast in its forward cargo hold at about 6:30 p.m. Monday while departing the Port of Baltimore. The vessel, loaded with coal and headed for Port Louis, Mauritius, was sailing through the Patapsco River close to the site of the 2024 Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse when the explosion occurred. All 23 crew members and two pilots were accounted for and uninjured, according to the U.S. Coast Guard and the Baltimore City Fire Department. Fireboats and port tugs quickly extinguished the resulting blaze and escorted the ship to an anchorage just north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Authorities have imposed a 500-yard safety zone and closed the Fort McHenry Federal Channel, suspending deep-draft traffic in and out of Baltimore Harbor while the vessel remains under guard. Investigators from the Coast Guard are probing the cause of the incident. Maritime experts say methane gas generated by the coal cargo is a potential ignition source, but officials have yet to reach any conclusions. The closure comes as Baltimore continues to rebuild its bridge infrastructure and restore full port operations after last year’s deadly bridge collapse; officials have not provided a timeline for reopening the channel.