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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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A bit about that Heat Dome and how it relates to the Pacific Ocean
Jun 29, 2021What’s wth this “heat dome” situation we’ve been experiencing in the Pacific Northwest, in areas that are normally cool? We’ll talk today about what causes a heat dome to occur. Part of it has to do with ocean temperatures in the Pacific.
Image courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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Cargo delays make early Christmas shopping a good bet
Jun 28, 2021More on worldwide disruptions in container shipping. The result could be that things will get temporarily scarce in coming months, making early Christmas shopping a good idea.
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Another cruise ship will be stored in Astoria
Jun 22, 2021The Port of Astoria has made arrangements to store another ocean-going cruise ship at the port docks. She’s a U.S flag cruise ships called the “American Pride” and she is normally based in Hawaii where she takes passengers between island ports there.
Image of the American Pride, courtesy James Brennan from Molokai Hawaii, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Today marks the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere
Jun 21, 2021Today is one of two annual astronomical solstice events. This one we call the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and the start of winter in the Southern Hemisphere.
We’ll talk about what’s happening out there in space that so deeply affects us here on Earth.
This image courtesy of photographer Andrew Dunn, www.andrewdunnphoto.com and Wikimedia Commons.
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Steep rises in shipping costs mean higher prices for consumers
Jun 14, 2021As the effects of the pandemic continue in global shipping, we’re seeing prices rise sharply on container goods. The result could be higher prices on familiar goods, like coffee, toys and furniture. Some goods like anchovies and olives, could be hard to come by in some places.
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