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!

Interview: Geologist Tom Horning

Today another special interview: Geologist and consultant Tom Horning. He's well known on the North Coast of Oregon as an expert in seismic and coastal shoreline issues. Today we talk a little about earthquakes, and the jetties at the mouth of the Columbia and how...
More

Interview: Capt. Bruce Jones

Today on the Ship Report, we have a special interview to share: a chat with Capt. Bruce Jones, retired USCG commander of Air Station Astoria, current mayor of Astoria, and earlier in his career, a helicopter pilot. We'll hear about what it takes to become a USCG...
More

Modern day ghost ship found adrift in Atlantic

A UK Royal Navy ship came upon an abandoned cargo ship which they discovered had been floating unmanned in the Atlantic for over a year after Coast Guard crews rescued the crew.
More

Crude oil on the Columbia?

A company located at Port Westward's Clatskanie port facility on the Columbia is looking to ship crude oil.
More

Sneaker wave warning

The National Weather Service issued a "sneaker wave" warning for ocean beaches in our area. What's that? We'll talk about what sneaker waves are and why you need to watch out for them when you're on the beach.
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

Arts
Local
Maritime
NOAA
Photos
Tsunami
Video

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.

The Ship Report

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Ship Report Podcasts

Interview: Geologist Tom Horning

Today another special interview: Geologist and consultant Tom Horning. He's well known on the North Coast of Oregon as an expert in seismic and coastal shoreline issues. Today we talk a little about earthquakes, and the jetties at the mouth of the Columbia and how...
Listen

Interview: Capt. Bruce Jones

Today on the Ship Report, we have a special interview to share: a chat with Capt. Bruce Jones, retired USCG commander of Air Station Astoria, current mayor of Astoria, and earlier in his career, a helicopter pilot. We'll hear about what it takes to become a USCG...
Listen

Modern day ghost ship found adrift in Atlantic

A UK Royal Navy ship came upon an abandoned cargo ship which they discovered had been floating unmanned in the Atlantic for over a year after Coast Guard crews rescued the crew.
Listen

Crude oil on the Columbia?

A company located at Port Westward's Clatskanie port facility on the Columbia is looking to ship crude oil.
Listen

Sneaker wave warning

The National Weather Service issued a "sneaker wave" warning for ocean beaches in our area. What's that? We'll talk about what sneaker waves are and why you need to watch out for them when you're on the beach.
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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Fisher Poet’s Gathering CD

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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.