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!

Who’s on the river today?

A look at what ships are traveling on the river today, and a bit about ballast water, an important factor in ship transits.
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A gem from the Ship Report archives: Interview with a rescue swimmer

There are heroes among us - and we usually don't see them. USCG rescue swimmers go out in terrible conditions at sea to save lives, as part of highly trained rescue helicopter crews. Today, from the Ship Report Archives, we'll hear an excerpt from a 2009 interview...
More

Lots of ships today anchored off Astoria

Today we'll see quite a few ships anchored off Astoria in the river, if they all arrive today. That will bring good shipwatching opportunities. We'll talk today about why ships anchor here.
More

What are those red patches in the river?

I received a listener question about a seasonal phenomenon people are noticing in the lower river right now: patches of dull red in the water. What is it? Turns out it's not what many people think: it's NOT a dreaded toxic algae bloom. Instead it's a good thing: a...
More

Low water on the Columbia

The National Weather Service issued a low water warning for the Columbia this past weekend and today, as minus tides and seasonal low water levels make navigating the river more challenging. We'll talk today about why water levels can be lower at this time of year,...
More

Columbia River Ship Traffic

GO
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
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.

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Ship Report Podcasts

Who’s on the river today?

A look at what ships are traveling on the river today, and a bit about ballast water, an important factor in ship transits.
Listen

A gem from the Ship Report archives: Interview with a rescue swimmer

There are heroes among us - and we usually don't see them. USCG rescue swimmers go out in terrible conditions at sea to save lives, as part of highly trained rescue helicopter crews. Today, from the Ship Report Archives, we'll hear an excerpt from a 2009 interview...
Listen

Lots of ships today anchored off Astoria

Today we'll see quite a few ships anchored off Astoria in the river, if they all arrive today. That will bring good shipwatching opportunities. We'll talk today about why ships anchor here.
Listen

What are those red patches in the river?

I received a listener question about a seasonal phenomenon people are noticing in the lower river right now: patches of dull red in the water. What is it? Turns out it's not what many people think: it's NOT a dreaded toxic algae bloom. Instead it's a good thing: a...
Listen

Low water on the Columbia

The National Weather Service issued a low water warning for the Columbia this past weekend and today, as minus tides and seasonal low water levels make navigating the river more challenging. We'll talk today about why water levels can be lower at this time of year,...
Listen

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
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.