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!

Rules of the road on the water

Just like there are rules of how we behave on the road in our cars, there are rules about how to behave when you are in a boat. Today we talk about how to handle if it you meet another vessel when you are traveling on the water.
More

A look at the staggering amount of ocean plastic, and a new treaty that may help

Our oceans are accumulating a staggering amount of plastic, at a pace that shows no signs of slowing. Now a new UN treaty aims to address this growing problem, for the health and welfare of all nations.
More

Cruise ship heads to Portland drydock

Today we'll see a cruise ship in the river, but she's not carrying passengers. This time this ship is headed for the shipyard. We'll talk about what shipyards do, and why Portland's Swan Island yard is specially equipped to handle big ships like this one. Image...
More

Today’s ships, and a bit about the things we don’t see

We'll take a look at who's arriving and departing on the river today, and talk a little about the upriver portion of the chain of commerce that folks on the lower river don't always see.
More

Cars on the Columbia

Today we'll talk about those odd-looking car ships we see on the river, and about new brands of cars coming into the Port of Portland.
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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Ship Report Podcasts

Rules of the road on the water

Just like there are rules of how we behave on the road in our cars, there are rules about how to behave when you are in a boat. Today we talk about how to handle if it you meet another vessel when you are traveling on the water.
Listen

A look at the staggering amount of ocean plastic, and a new treaty that may help

Our oceans are accumulating a staggering amount of plastic, at a pace that shows no signs of slowing. Now a new UN treaty aims to address this growing problem, for the health and welfare of all nations.
Listen

Cruise ship heads to Portland drydock

Today we'll see a cruise ship in the river, but she's not carrying passengers. This time this ship is headed for the shipyard. We'll talk about what shipyards do, and why Portland's Swan Island yard is specially equipped to handle big ships like this one. Image...
Listen

Today’s ships, and a bit about the things we don’t see

We'll take a look at who's arriving and departing on the river today, and talk a little about the upriver portion of the chain of commerce that folks on the lower river don't always see.
Listen

Cars on the Columbia

Today we'll talk about those odd-looking car ships we see on the river, and about new brands of cars coming into the Port of Portland.
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  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.