The Most Recent Ship Report Podcast:

Weather and some ship talk

Today we talk about the weather - always a fascinating topic in our coastal region. And some interesting details about today's arriving ships.

Archive Podcasts:

Containers get a makeover that could help unsnarl cargo issues

Nov 19, 2021

The humble shipping container has remained relatively unchanged in basic design since it was first invented in the 1950s. Now a relatively new take on containers could become more popular. The collapsible container – a more flexible version of the original could take up less space on board and help unsnarl the world’s cargo issues in the pandemic.

Wind power equipment a big economic driver for Port of Vancouver, USA

Nov 18, 2021

The Port of Vancouver, Wash., has been doing steady business during the pandemic, even though it’s not a container port. Part of the reason is the importing of wind energy equipment for wind farms inland. The port is uniquely equipped to import the huge components, and that’s made it a prime destination for such equipment on the West Coast.

BC endures catastrophic flooding as big storm just misses OR and WA

Nov 17, 2021

Locals here in Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington held their collective breath as a huge atmospheric river weather event slid by our area and barreled into British Columbia to the north. Even we got lots of rain here. But the storm left B.C. communities swamped and residents stranded.

A personal look at the Edmund Fitzgerald tragegy

Nov 16, 2021

Even though it happened more than 40 years ago, the tragedy of the Edmund Fitzgeral ore carrier still hits home, especially people who were living in the area and working in the maritime industry at the time the wreck happened in 1975.

Reid Johnson was in the USCG stationed on a cutter in Lake Huron when the Mighty Fitz sank. He still remembers how the wreck haunted all of them on board, because the ship was so familiar to everyone in the region.

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Nov 10, 2021

Each year, I commemorate the loss of this beloved ship on Lake Superior on November 10, 1975. She was beloved to people around the region, who called her “The Mighty Fitz.” She and her crew hauled iron ore between Canada and the US for 17 years. Then one night, in a terrible storm, she was lost with all hands, in one of the worst maritime tragedies in U.S. History. This is my annual tribute to the sailors and families of the Mighty Fitz.

West Coast terminals impose fees for bogged down cargo

Nov 09, 2021

A look at an emerging trend in the bogged down cargo mess: West Coast terminals assessing fees on containers that just sit there for long periods without moving through the supply chain. In an increasingly expensive shipping environment, this isn’t very good news, but understandable for terminal owners.

A miracle story from the frozen north

Nov 08, 2021

There’s a lot of upsetting news to be had these days, so it’s so great when we get to share a story that’s truly lovely.

The story starts when a fishing boat runs aground in Alaska and her crew needs help. A Coast Guard helicopter crew rescues the fishermen, but there’s still one missing – their 80 pound lab mix puppy, Grace, who went overboard as the boat capsized.

The next day when the Coast Guard came back to assess the aftermath of the incident, they discovered a small miracle on the beach: Grace – cold, but unharmed, and certainly living up to her name.

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