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!

Pilot boat Peacock at CRMM in Astoria: what makes her so special?

The pilot boat Peacock is on display at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, Oregon. You can see her decorated with holiday lights when you drive by. Of all the amazing vessels we have here on the lower Columbia, this one stands out as a true game changer....
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IMO 2020 Part 10

Today I'll share answers to listener questions about IMO 2020: What will the industry do with old, polluting fuel, and will cruise ships also have to follow the new standards, or is it just cargo ships?
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IMO 2020 – Part 9

Today we continue our talk with Captain Robert Johnson, retired Columbia River Bar Pilot and master mariner, about IMO 2020, the new air pollution standards ships must follow as of Jan. 1.
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IMO 2020 – Part 7 – Where will the new fuel come from?

In Part 7 of our interview with Captain Robert Johnson, retired Columbia River Bar Pilot and master mariner, we discuss where the new low sulphur fuel will come from to supply all those ships come January 1st.
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IMO 2020 – Part 6 – How much fuel do ships burn?

In Part 6 of my interview with Captain Robert Johnson about IMO 2020, we talk about how much fuel giant ships burn per day, even per hour. The numbers are astonishing. IMO 202 is the new set of air pollution regs all ships will need to abide by starting January 1.
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Columbia River Ship Traffic

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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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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

Pilot boat Peacock at CRMM in Astoria: what makes her so special?

The pilot boat Peacock is on display at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, Oregon. You can see her decorated with holiday lights when you drive by. Of all the amazing vessels we have here on the lower Columbia, this one stands out as a true game changer....
Listen

IMO 2020 – Part 12

The final installment of my detailed interview with retired Columbia River Bar Pilot Capt. Robert Johnson. We've been talking about IMO 2020, the game changing new rules regarding ship fuel that take effect Jan. 1.
Listen

IMO 2020 – Part 11

More on sweeping changes to rules regarding ship fuel, which after Jan i must contain no more than .5% sulphur. Hear more from my extended interview with Capt. Robert Johnson, retired master mariner and Columbia River Bar Pilot.
Listen

IMO 2020 Part 10

Today I'll share answers to listener questions about IMO 2020: What will the industry do with old, polluting fuel, and will cruise ships also have to follow the new standards, or is it just cargo ships?
Listen

IMO 2020 – Part 9

Today we continue our talk with Captain Robert Johnson, retired Columbia River Bar Pilot and master mariner, about IMO 2020, the new air pollution standards ships must follow as of Jan. 1.
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.