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!

Oregon Waterway Access Permit takes effect in January

On January 1, 2026, Oregon will require paddlecraft operators to purchase a Waterway Access Permit. Permits will be available by the week, year and two year intervals. The new law will apply to all paddlecraft 10 feet or longer. That incudes kayaks, standup paddle...
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The Pacific Collector: another interesting military vessel on the river

Today we see the Pacific Collector arriving from Honolulu, after a doing her specialized work of tracking missile defense testing. She's one of a host of US military ships we see on the river, along with her sister ship, the Pacific Collector. Photo credit: Daniel...
More

Let’s take a look at one ship

Let's take a look at one ship on today's schedule. It's path traces a winding route from Russia through the Panama Canal to Portland, a journey of more than a month at sea.
More

Minding the weather

A look at today's gusty weather and how to plan accordingly if you're going out on a boat. One thing to remember: the experience of being on the river is very different when you are out on a boat from the way it is on land, even on the shore. And any precautions you...
More

Staying safe on a boat means: prepare before you go

Nothing says summer like the 4th of July, comin' right up. If you're looking forward to boating this weekend, perhaps even in the ocean, here's a bit about how to give yourself the best opportunity to stay safe on our challenging but beautiful Pacific Northwest...
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

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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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Oregon Waterway Access Permit takes effect in January

On January 1, 2026, Oregon will require paddlecraft operators to purchase a Waterway Access Permit. Permits will be available by the week, year and two year intervals. The new law will apply to all paddlecraft 10 feet or longer. That incudes kayaks, standup paddle...
Listen

The Pacific Collector: another interesting military vessel on the river

Today we see the Pacific Collector arriving from Honolulu, after a doing her specialized work of tracking missile defense testing. She's one of a host of US military ships we see on the river, along with her sister ship, the Pacific Collector. Photo credit: Daniel...
Listen

Let’s take a look at one ship

Let's take a look at one ship on today's schedule. It's path traces a winding route from Russia through the Panama Canal to Portland, a journey of more than a month at sea.
Listen

Minding the weather

A look at today's gusty weather and how to plan accordingly if you're going out on a boat. One thing to remember: the experience of being on the river is very different when you are out on a boat from the way it is on land, even on the shore. And any precautions you...
Listen

Staying safe on a boat means: prepare before you go

Nothing says summer like the 4th of July, comin' right up. If you're looking forward to boating this weekend, perhaps even in the ocean, here's a bit about how to give yourself the best opportunity to stay safe on our challenging but beautiful Pacific Northwest...
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.