For more than a month, the bulk carrier that suffered a large explosion outside the Port of Baltimore sat anchored in the Bay. Many boaters wondered what the 751-foot vessel was doing sitting in the Chesapeake Channel, just northeast of Sandy Point Shoal Light, for over four weeks. Chesapeake Bay Magazine confirms it has finally been moved to what the Coast Guard is calling “a safe location”.
USCG Sector Maryland National Capitol Region Command told us on Friday that the vessel has relocated to Cove Point Anchorage, off of Calvert County, Maryland, “under a transit plan reviewed by port stakeholders to ensure the vessel is in a safe location while addressing repairs.”
The M/V W Sapphire transited under its own power with a tug escort for safety, the Coast Guard said. It will remain at anchor until the ship’s owners develop a plan for repair. While Sector Command did not elaborate on repair plans further, they did tell us the vessel “has indicated they intend to call on the Port of Baltimore”.
That would mean a return to the port where they called on Aug. 15, and departed on Aug. 18.
Around 6:30 on the evening of Aug. 18, as the bulk carrier passed the site of the Key Bridge collapse, an explosion on board rocked the ship and rattled nearby homes. W Sapphire had suffered damage from the explosion and fire, but remained afloat. The 23 crewmembers and two Maryland Pilots on board all escaped safely.
The explosion blew the massive cargo hatch cover off the carrier, which had been carrying coal. The hatch became a submerged hazard, and crews worked to recover it for days in a 500-yard-radius safety zone. It was recovered from the Patapsco River on Sept. 3.
