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 20 years on the air!

Wednesday Fleet Week update

Today we'll take a look at ships heading upriver for the Rose Festival today: the USCG Barque Eagle and the Canadian Navy vessel HMCS Nanaimo. Expect the Eagle to leave Astoria around 7:30am and around 8:30am the Nanaimo will pass Astoria inbound. For info about tours...

The USCG barque Eagle comes into the Columbia, and the Rose Festival Fleet begins its journey upriver

Tuesday morning early we'll see the USCGC Eagle arrive on the Columbia. She'll cross the bar around 6 am and be in Astoria around 8:30am. The two US Navy ships at the Port of Astoria will head upriver to Portland. The Rose Festival Fleet is here and on the move....

The Rose Festival Fleet goes upriver this week

This week the visiting ships that comprise the Rose Festival Fleet will pass by Astoria and other points on the river to Portland. Ships will dock at the seawall at Tom McCall Park and be available for tours there. We have several ships heading past Astoria this week....

A US Navy ship arrives for tours in Astoria, the Rose Festival Fleet, and dredge season on the river

An opportunity Saturday to tour a US Navy ship that arrives at the Port of Astoria today. Likely the first of next week's Rose Festival Fleet of arriving ships, including the USCG tall ship Eagle. And it's dredge season on the Columbia River - and we'll be seeing at...

Maritime scholarship for students opens doors to education

Today we'll talk about a scholarship being offered through the Portland Merchant Exchange. It's an opportunity for students interested in a career in the maritime industry to get some funding assistance with their education.

Columbia River Ship Traffic

Approximate Vessel Travel Times
  • Portland/Vancouver -Astoria: 6-8 hours
  • Kalama -Astoria: 5 hours
  • Longview -Astoria: 3.5 hours
  • Columbia River Bar – Astoria: 1.5 hours
Times vary according to tidal conditions, current, weather, and individual vessel horsepower.
Water Speed & Currents

Curated Links

Arts
Tsunami
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
Ship Report Podcasts

Wednesday Fleet Week update

Today we'll take a look at ships heading upriver for the Rose Festival today: the USCG Barque Eagle and the Canadian Navy vessel HMCS Nanaimo. Expect the Eagle to leave Astoria around 7:30am and around 8:30am the Nanaimo will pass Astoria inbound. For info about tours...

The USCG barque Eagle comes into the Columbia, and the Rose Festival Fleet begins its journey upriver

Tuesday morning early we'll see the USCGC Eagle arrive on the Columbia. She'll cross the bar around 6 am and be in Astoria around 8:30am. The two US Navy ships at the Port of Astoria will head upriver to Portland. The Rose Festival Fleet is here and on the move....

The Rose Festival Fleet goes upriver this week

This week the visiting ships that comprise the Rose Festival Fleet will pass by Astoria and other points on the river to Portland. Ships will dock at the seawall at Tom McCall Park and be available for tours there. We have several ships heading past Astoria this week....

A US Navy ship arrives for tours in Astoria, the Rose Festival Fleet, and dredge season on the river

An opportunity Saturday to tour a US Navy ship that arrives at the Port of Astoria today. Likely the first of next week's Rose Festival Fleet of arriving ships, including the USCG tall ship Eagle. And it's dredge season on the Columbia River - and we'll be seeing at...

Maritime scholarship for students opens doors to education

Today we'll talk about a scholarship being offered through the Portland Merchant Exchange. It's an opportunity for students interested in a career in the maritime industry to get some funding assistance with their education.

The Ship Report, the show about All Things Maritime, features maritime news and information, local and international, based in the Pacific Northwest in Astoria, Oregon. shipreport.net. Podcasts available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts

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

Columbia River Bar
“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.