Moment blast rocks Baltimore harbor after cargo ship explodes sending flames into the air – near site of bridge collapse

Published on August 19, 2025 at 06:56 AM
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DRAMATIC footage has captured the moment a cargo ship exploded in Baltimore.

A fireball was seen coming from the vessel before plumes of thick smoke filled the air on Monday evening.

Large explosion near a ship.
An explosion was reported on a cargo ship in Baltimore

The blast happened on board the W-Sapphire vessel – a Liberian registered ship that is heading to Port Louis, Mauritius. 

And, it happened in the Patapsco River near to where the city’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in March 2024.

No injuries were reported and all 23 people on board the cargo ship were accounted for.

The ship stayed afloat and was assisted by tug boats, according to the Baltimore Fire Department.

But, officials said the boat showed signs consistent with a fire and an explosion.

The vessel, which is 751 foot long, is being moved to an anchorage area and is being investigated by the Coast Guard.

Video showing smoke coming from the vessel was shared online.

And, witnesses recalled what they saw.

“We heard a huge explosion,” Jay Steinmetz, who was on board a sailboat at the time, told the Fox affiliate WTTG-TV.

” I thought that they were blowing up part of the bridge, but obviously I could see after I turned my head that there was a 200-foot plume of smoke over the boat that we’d just seen.”

The explosion comes more than a year after six construction workers were killed when the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed.

The bridge came crashing down after the container ship Dali hit a supporting pier.

Cargo ship exploding in Baltimore Harbor.
Flames could be seen shooting into the sky
Cargo ship exploding in Baltimore harbor.
Plumes of smoke filled the air
W-Sapphire cargo ship at sea.
The vessel was en-route to Mauritius (stock image)

More to follow… For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos.

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