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!

Rose Festival Fleet update, and change of plans

It looks like the last of the military vessels arriving for the Rose Festival in Portland are passing by us today on the river. We saw a change of plans for one ship, the USS Lake Champlain, which had been at the Port of Astoria for the past few days - she headed out...

More Rose Festival Fleet ships arrive in the river

Today a look at our ship schedule, which includes three new arriving Rose Festival Fleet visiting vessels: two Canadian Navy ships early in the am (5:30-6:30am past Astoria inbound) and a US Navy ship that will arrive at the Port of Astoria around 2:30 pm.

Tuesday Fleet Week update

More about who's coming into the river this week for the Rose Festival Fleet,

Who will be coming upriver for Fleet week

Today we'll hear about when ships will be coming upriver for Fleet Week for the Portland Rose Festival. (The image here is the USS Lake Champlain, currently at the Port of Astoria.) Here's a quick look at the ships that will be coming in from out in the Pacific and...

Rose Festival Fleet week is here

Today, an overview of what ships we'll see here in the river for Fleet Week, a cherished part of the annual Rose Festival in Portland.

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

Rose Festival Fleet update, and change of plans

It looks like the last of the military vessels arriving for the Rose Festival in Portland are passing by us today on the river. We saw a change of plans for one ship, the USS Lake Champlain, which had been at the Port of Astoria for the past few days - she headed out...

More Rose Festival Fleet ships arrive in the river

Today a look at our ship schedule, which includes three new arriving Rose Festival Fleet visiting vessels: two Canadian Navy ships early in the am (5:30-6:30am past Astoria inbound) and a US Navy ship that will arrive at the Port of Astoria around 2:30 pm.

Tuesday Fleet Week update

More about who's coming into the river this week for the Rose Festival Fleet,

Who will be coming upriver for Fleet week

Today we'll hear about when ships will be coming upriver for Fleet Week for the Portland Rose Festival. (The image here is the USS Lake Champlain, currently at the Port of Astoria.) Here's a quick look at the ships that will be coming in from out in the Pacific and...

Rose Festival Fleet week is here

Today, an overview of what ships we'll see here in the river for Fleet Week, a cherished part of the annual Rose Festival in Portland.

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
“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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Quick Guide
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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.