A Ro-Ro vessel suffered an onboard fire while in lay-up at the Port of Baltimore in Maryland on Monday, July 13.
Reports stated that the blaze ignited on two lifeboats aboard the US Maritime Administration (MARAD) operated Charles L. Gilliland in the late morning (local time) of Monday, prompting the deployment of the Baltimore City Fire Department (BCFD) and other agencies.
There were no reported injuries and the cause of the fire remains under investigation, the BCFD said in a social media post in the hours following the incident.
Charles L. Gilliland has been in lay-up in Baltimore since 2024 along with five other MARAD-operated ships.
These six vessels belong to MARAD's Ready Reserve Force (RRF), which means they can be activated and placed under the operational control of the US Military Sealift Command (MSC) to fulfil US military logistical support requirements if needed.
Built in 1972 and originally named Selandia, the ship was operated by the MSC from 1997 to 2023 as USNS Gilliland. She was transferred to the RRF upon being stricken from the Naval Vessel Register.