The Ship Report is All Things Maritime!

Ship Report podcasts take you to a special corner of the world: the Mighty Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest. Nautical lore, news and info, mariner interviews, daily international ship traffic, and the inside scoop on our formidable marine weather. Join maritime journalist Joanne Rideout on the Ship Report, as we explore the fascinating nautical world, on the Upper Left Edge of Oregon and beyond.  The Ship Report is proud to celebrate 16 years on the air!

The Marcus G. Langseth seismic research vessel

Today a familiar research vessel comes to the Port of Astoria: the Marcus G. Langseth. She's owned by Columbia University's Lamont Dougherty Earth Observatory. She's spent time in Astoria over the years as she's pursued different research projects. She is the national...
More

The voyages of the S/V Jane Franklin

Today I'll share the second installment of the voyages of the good ship Jane Franklin: a 53 foot sailing yacht, a ketch, owned by Capt. Russ Roberts, a lifelong sailor, and retired airline pilot, whose exploits include sailing through the Northwest Passage. Capt....
More

What’s the weather like “out there”?

When the weather's bad on shore, we can be pretty sure it's worse out in the ocean, at least here in the Pacific Northwest. Today we talk about the offshore weather forecast and what working vessels are enduring out there: fishing boats, cargo ships, tugs.
More

Tugs: unsung heroes of river commerce

Yesterday's listener question was about a tugboat helping out a big ship in the Astoria Anchorage. That tug, the PJ Brix, by the way, is owned by Foss Maritime, a big presence in the tugboat world. Since we see fewer tugboats on the lower river compared to upriver...
More

Mystery ship in Astoria Anchorage

I've been getting listener questions about a ship that seemed to be having difficulties in the Astoria Anchorage. Today I have the scoop on that vessel, which was having trouble with a steering pump. Correction: today's report referred to Brix tugs as being based in...
More

Columbia River Ship Traffic

GO

Approximate Vessel Travel Times

(Times vary according to tidal conditions, current, weather, and individual vessel horsepower)

  • Portland/Vancouver -Astoria: 6-8 hours
  • Kalama -Astoria: 5 hours
  • Longview -Astoria: 3.5 hours
  • Columbia River Bar – Astoria: 1.5 hours

Water Speed & Currents

Curated Links

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Photos
Tsunami
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Tides

When’s High Tide where you are?  Find Tidal info at www.saltwatertides.com

Tide times are often listed in 24 hour time.  For times after noon, subtract 1200 from the time to get regular clock time. Ex: 1300 hrs – 1200 = 1:00 pm)

MLLW:  Also, tides are referenced to Mean Lower Low Water, a reference point for depth on many nautical charts. MLLW is the average of the lower of the two low tides in a day, over a 19-year cycle. Minus tides are lower than MLLW.

Adjustments: If you’re right on the coast, subtract an hour from these times. Upriver, highs and lows happen later. For instance, in Knappa, add an hour. In Clatskanie, add 2 hours and 15 minutes.

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Ship Report Podcasts

The Marcus G. Langseth seismic research vessel

Today a familiar research vessel comes to the Port of Astoria: the Marcus G. Langseth. She's owned by Columbia University's Lamont Dougherty Earth Observatory. She's spent time in Astoria over the years as she's pursued different research projects. She is the national...
Listen

The voyages of the S/V Jane Franklin

Today I'll share the second installment of the voyages of the good ship Jane Franklin: a 53 foot sailing yacht, a ketch, owned by Capt. Russ Roberts, a lifelong sailor, and retired airline pilot, whose exploits include sailing through the Northwest Passage. Capt....
Listen

What’s the weather like “out there”?

When the weather's bad on shore, we can be pretty sure it's worse out in the ocean, at least here in the Pacific Northwest. Today we talk about the offshore weather forecast and what working vessels are enduring out there: fishing boats, cargo ships, tugs.
Listen

Tugs: unsung heroes of river commerce

Yesterday's listener question was about a tugboat helping out a big ship in the Astoria Anchorage. That tug, the PJ Brix, by the way, is owned by Foss Maritime, a big presence in the tugboat world. Since we see fewer tugboats on the lower river compared to upriver...
Listen

Mystery ship in Astoria Anchorage

I've been getting listener questions about a ship that seemed to be having difficulties in the Astoria Anchorage. Today I have the scoop on that vessel, which was having trouble with a steering pump. Correction: today's report referred to Brix tugs as being based in...
Listen
10-Minute Ship Reports: Monday through Thursday, featuring  Daily Ship Traffic, Marine Weather, News and Interviews

Ship Report Minutes:  On Fridays, where we answer listener questions. Short and sweet!

The Ship Report is also broadcast Weekdays at 8:49 am on Coast Community Radio Astoria, Oregon

coastradio.org

Columbia River Bar

Pacific NW Coast Bar Closure Info from NOAA.

Also on Facebook and Twitter(US Coast Guard).

“Pilot transfer” is when a pilot disembarks or boards a ship. Ships generally must by law have a river or bar pilot on board when they are on the Columbia or Willamette Rivers. The bar and river pilots have separate pilotage grounds defined by the Oregon Legislature.

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Meet Joanne Rideout

Producer Joanne Rideout is a journalist and photographer who created The Ship Report in 2003. Since then Joanne and has been interviewing, writing and photographing the maritime world and its interesting people as much as she possibly can.

Ship Horn Signals

Commonly Heard off Astoria

One prolonged blast every two minutes or less: vessel operating in fog.

Five consecutive horn blasts: warning signal that means literally “I do not know your intention.” This generally means another vessel is in the way of a ship in the channel, and is being asked to move before they collide.

Three short blasts: Vessel going in reverse

One long blast followed by three short: signal for the change of pilots. Soon after this signal, you’ll see the pilot launch Arrow II head out to a passing ship, to facilitate the transfer of bar and river pilots.