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Archive Podcasts:
The Delta variant and the cruise ship industry
Aug 16, 2021The new Delta variant of COVID is popping up on cruises now that they’ve started carrying passengers again. With its more contagious profile and ability to spread via vaccinated people too, it’s turning out to be a game changer.
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Interview Series: A look at cargo holds, Part 5
Aug 13, 2021Today is the final installment in our five-part series on cargo hold inspections, featuring Dan Sealy, a cargo hold inspector who works on ships in the Astoria Anchorage.
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Interview Series: A look at cargo holds, Part 4
Aug 12, 2021Part four in our series about cargo hold inspections with inspector Dan Sealy, who works in the Astoria anchorage.
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Interview Series: A look at cargo holds, Part 4
Aug 11, 2021More on my interview with Dan Sealy, a cargo hold inspector who works in the Astoria Anchorage inspecting cargo holds so they are suitable to take on cargo.
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Interview Series: A look at cargo holds – Part 2
Aug 10, 2021Today 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.
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Interview Series: A look at cargo holds – Part 1
Aug 09, 2021Today 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.
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What if tug loses power while it’s towing a barge?
Jul 23, 2021I 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.
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Plane crash debris prompts USCG search and rescue effort
Jul 13, 2021USCG 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
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Liquefaction: a dangeous twist of physics that makes some cargoes dangerous
Jul 12, 2021Today 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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Update on river cruises: what passengers should expect
Jul 06, 2021As river cruises nationwide open up again, there are some caveats passengers will have to follow. The most important rule of thumb is that rules are different in different states and you need to be ready to adapt if you go.
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