On the evening of Monday, August 18th, an explosion occurred aboard a cargo ship in Baltimore Harbor. According to a U.S. Coast Guard press release, the vessel – carrying coal and heading outbound with 23 crew members and two pilots on board – reported no injuries. An investigation is now underway to determine the cause of the incident. 

In a follow up press release on August 19th, the Coast Guard announced the deployment of a sonar-equipped survey vessel to assess potential navigation hazards within the Fort McHenry Federal Channel. The survey data will also provide data to help form the operational plan for fully reopening the channel to port traffic.