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Holidays at sea

It's a good time of year to talk about holidays at sea, for sailors who are often far from home.

Archive Podcasts:

Interview Series: A look at cargo holds – Part 2

Aug 10, 2021

Today we continue my interview with Dan Sealy, a cargo hold inspector who goes down into  the depths of bulk carriers to make sure cargo holds are suitable to take on cargoes like wheat and corn, among others. Today we’ll hear about what a day at work is like for him. My favorite quote from this interview clip is when Dan said he always makes the crew go down into the hold first. If it’s safe for them and they’re willing to do below, then he’ll follow…

Photo Credit: Dan Sealy. Spiral staircase in cargo hold.

Interview Series: A look at cargo holds – Part 1

Aug 09, 2021

Today we begin hearing an interview I did recently with Dan Sealy, a cargo hold inspector who goes down into the holds of bulk carriers anchored off Astoria in the Columbia River.

Part of his job is to check whether holds are in suitable condition to take on cargo. His work is part of the federal government’s regulation of cargoes shipped from U.S. ports.

Today in Part 1, we’ll hear a bit from Dan about the agency he works for and more about his job.

Photo Credit: Dan Sealy. Bulk carrier cargo hold.

What if tug loses power while it’s towing a barge?

Jul 23, 2021

I got a listener question from someone watching a tug go by, who asked what tug crews do if a tugboat loses power while it’s towing a barge? For an answer, I consulted my friend Phil Martin, a retired tug captain who lives on the Long Beach Peninsula. He told me there are no hard and fast rules in such an emergency – depending on conditions you do different things. But it’s certainly a time when tug captains must draw on all their expertise in a critical situation.

Plane crash debris prompts USCG search and rescue effort

Jul 13, 2021

USCG crews on the Columbia River spent part of Monday searching for survivors of a plane crash after a Good Samaritan reported wreckage near Kalama. The debris turned out to be from a crash last March. We’ll talk about how the Coast Guard handles rescues, and how you can prevent an accidental false alarm emergency call.

Photo courtesy US Coast Guard Pacific Northwest on Facebook

Liquefaction: a dangeous twist of physics that makes some cargoes dangerous

Jul 12, 2021

Today we’ll talk about liquefaction: the tendency of some cargoes that are solid (certain kinds of mineral ores), but can behave like liquids in a cargo hold under certain conditions. It’s a dangeous consequence of basic physics and how cargoes are loaded and stored. If that happens, it’s not a ship you want to be on.

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