Americas News
US Coast Guard Reopens Baltimore Channel Following Coal Carrier Explosion
The Port of Baltimore announced on Tuesday that the US Coast Guard has reopened the Fort McHenry Federal Channel, which had been closed after an explosion aboard the bulk carrier W Sapphire on Monday.
The 2,000-yard safety zone around the incident site has been lifted, the US Coast Guard said in an update on Tuesday.
The Coast Guard had previously halted all vessel traffic on the Patapsco River up to the Francis Scott Key Bridge following the incident.
However, a 500-yard safety zone around the W Sapphire remains in place.
The channel closure recalled past disruptions, including the 2024 collapse of the Key Bridge after a boxship collision.
The W Sapphire, carrying coal, departed Baltimore on 18 August en route to Port Louis, Mauritius.
