“The U.S. Coast Guard is the lead agency in the response and will determine when the channel can safely reopen, as well as the timing of vessel arrivals and departures,” port officials said in a news release.

The 751-foot (229-meter) merchant vessel W-Sapphire was en route from Baltimore to East Africa, according to marine tracking websites. It was expected to arrive in the Port of Mauritius in about a month. Built in 2012, the ship is currently sailing under a Liberian flag. Officials said it was transporting coal.

There were 23 crewmembers and two pilots aboard at the time of the explosion, according to Coast Guard officials.