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 16 years on the air!

The Great Shakeout, the Big One, and what you can do

Today is the annual Great Shakeout event, where we take a look at earthquake preparedness here on the coast, a place where we have the double whammy of earthquake damage and tsunami flooding. We'll take a look at an article by infamous New Yorker magazine writer...
More

A look at the deep blue sea and the Mariana Trench

Most of us land dwellers think of the ocean in terms of the shore, which is the interface between land and sea. But there is so much more to it than that - a vastness that we can hardly wrap our heads around, and which is still largely unexplored. Today we take a look...
More

Abandoned ships: a look at how some ships and crews are abandoned by their owners

It's a growing problem in a troubled world shipping market: some ships are being abandoned by their owners, with crews and cargo still on board, often at anchor in some foreign port far from the crews' homes. Without pay, food or fuel, things become desperate for...
More

How issues with trains and trucks affect the supply chain

In the world today, we get our stuff through a global intermodal supply chain. That includes ports, containerships and on the ground, trucks and trains. As more disruptions arise at ports near and far, many of them concerning containerships, now delays in the trucking...
More

Power cutbacks in China threaten container ports

Today, an unusual story from China that could further hamper the flow of manufacturing and shipping there, with impacts on the rest of the world. China, in a effort to enforce emissions standards to reduce pollution, has started cutting electrical power to businesses...
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

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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

The Great Shakeout, the Big One, and what you can do

Today is the annual Great Shakeout event, where we take a look at earthquake preparedness here on the coast, a place where we have the double whammy of earthquake damage and tsunami flooding. We'll take a look at an article by infamous New Yorker magazine writer...
Listen

A look at the deep blue sea and the Mariana Trench

Most of us land dwellers think of the ocean in terms of the shore, which is the interface between land and sea. But there is so much more to it than that - a vastness that we can hardly wrap our heads around, and which is still largely unexplored. Today we take a look...
Listen

Abandoned ships: a look at how some ships and crews are abandoned by their owners

It's a growing problem in a troubled world shipping market: some ships are being abandoned by their owners, with crews and cargo still on board, often at anchor in some foreign port far from the crews' homes. Without pay, food or fuel, things become desperate for...
Listen

How issues with trains and trucks affect the supply chain

In the world today, we get our stuff through a global intermodal supply chain. That includes ports, containerships and on the ground, trucks and trains. As more disruptions arise at ports near and far, many of them concerning containerships, now delays in the trucking...
Listen

Power cutbacks in China threaten container ports

Today, an unusual story from China that could further hamper the flow of manufacturing and shipping there, with impacts on the rest of the world. China, in a effort to enforce emissions standards to reduce pollution, has started cutting electrical power to businesses...
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 Coast Community Radio Astoria, Oregon

coastradio.org

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. Soon after this signal, you’ll see the pilot launch Arrow II head out to a passing ship, to facilitate the transfer of bar and river pilots.