The Most Recent Ship Report Podcast:

US carrier Matson says no to electric vehicles, citing lithium ion battery risk

The US ocean carrier Matson has decided to no longer ship electric vehicles, because of the increasing frequency of what analysts believe are lithium ion battery caused fires on car ships. Despite newer industry recommendations designed to make ships safer, these fires remain a deadly, and usually in practice, uncontrollable hazard on board.

Archive Podcasts:

Captain Thron Riggs on Anchoring

Today on the Ship Report, a real treat: Columbia River Bar Pilot Capt. Thron Riggs answers a listener question about anchoring ships. Captain Riggs was instrumental in helping the Ship Report get off the ground as a radio show 16 years ago.

Many thanks to him for all the information over the years, and for all his help answering this complex question today: What anchor does a ship use when she comes into the Astoria Anchorage – port or starboard?

Accidental search and rescue

Jan 23, 2019

Today we’re talking about a recent Coast Guard request asking boatowners and other mariners to take care to secure their watercraft from going adrift in bad weather. Many accidental search and rescue missions have been launched because someone’s kayak, for example, went for a ride without them, blown by wind and rain.

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons. Photo credit: By Banes, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2052946

A Fisherpoet Weighs In on Tragedy

Jan 14, 2019

Soon after the tragic wreck of the crab boat Mary B II on the Yaquina Bay Bar in Newport, Oregon, earlier this month, many people in the fishing community shared their grief at the loss of three lives.

One of the most eloquent tributes came from Fisher Poet Tele Aadsen, who fishes Alaska waters with her partner Joel Brady Power, on their salmon troller Nerka. Today’s Ship Report features Tele’s blog post, a testimony to lives lost under harrowing conditions, in a difficult profession.

Photo credit: Tele Aadsen from her post on Facebook about the Mary B II. Thank you, Tele, for your great writing and the eloquent window you give us into life at sea.

The Wreck of The Mary B II

Jan 09, 2019

The tragic loss of the Dungenness crab boat Mary B II on the Yaquina Bay Bar this week has thrown the PNW fishing community into bitter mourning, as crabbing season finally gets underway after more than a month of delay. Three men died attempting to cross the bar, coming home with a full crab boat after a long round of work at sea.

The Ship Report comes in small bites as SHIP REPORT MINUTES: The Fast Scoop on Maritime News and Info!

Monday through Friday (except major holidays) watch for 10-MINUTE SHIP REPORTS: Ship Traffic, Marine Weather, News and Interviews

Subscribe to the RSS feed.

The Ship Report is also broadcast Weekdays at 8:49 am on Coast Community Radio Astoria, Oregon

Follow The Ship Report on and