The Carnival Panorama heads to Canada to get her “whale tail” funnel removed

In what I am beginning to call the “Amazing Saga of the Carnival Panorama,” the mechanically-ailing cruise ship that spent a week in Astoria trying to figure out a workaround to get to the shipyard in Portland, has “left the building,” at least for the moment.

She headed out to sea yesterday afternoon from the Port of Astoria, to make her way to British Columbia, to a shipyard that can remove her huge “whale tail” funnel so she can fit under the Columbia River’s fixed bridges.

Once that’s done, she’ll be back to the Columbia to head to drydock in Portland.

And yes, to anwer that quite reasonable question folks have been asking: she has to go to Portland. Other regional shipyards are apparently full. And she’s having steering and proplusion problems, so traveling far from the PNW to another yard is probably not an option.

Photo: Joanne Rideout. The Carnival Panorama at the Port of Astoria at dusk on Sunday, shortly before she departed for British Columbia.

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How tall is “too tall”? A closer look at why that cruise ship can’t just go upriver

Today we’ll take a look at the numbers about why the Carnival Panorama cruise ship, currently at the Port of Astoria, can’t just go upriver without modifications. How tall is the ship as she currently sits? And what’s the clearance on the fixed bridges on the river?

Also, a shout out about a meeting Saturday afternoon in Astoria for an open house for the Sea Scouts. It’sa century-old group affiliated with Boy Scouts of America, and it’s a co-ed organization for kids who want to learn more about boats and all things maritime.

Note about photo: this is the stack that is causing so many problems for the Carnival Panorama. Look closely at the picture for scale. It’s huge adn no doubt very heavy. And it has to be removed.

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A look at today’s schedule and what may be next for the Carnival Panorama

We’ll take a look at ship traffic today, and also talk about what may be next for that huge cruise ship that is currently at the Port of Astoria with no passengers on board, awaiting repairs and removal of her stack so she can fit under bridges on the river.

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The “too-tall” Carnival Panorama’s odd arrival in Astoria

We’ll have a cruise ship at the Port of Astoria today, but cruise season is over here. Its not a pleasure trip.

The ship, the Carnival Panorama, has no passengers on board and is struggling with mechanical issues. She’s stopping at the Port of Astoria to see if she can solve a few things before she heads to the shipyard at Swan Island in Portland.

The issue: her smoke stack assembly is too tall to fit under the fixed bridges on the Columbia. The short answer is they’ll have to be removed. But how that will happen was still being worked out as of yesterday evening.

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A look at other cultures, with vessel agent Christi Lee Dunham, Part 6

Today is the final installment of my recent interview with Christi Lee Dunham, vessel agent on the Columbia River. One of the things Christi loves about her job is all the people she meets from cultures around the world. Regular clients become familiar faces, they sometimes offer her dinner on board the ship.

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More about our local maritime industry on the river

More today from my recent interview with vessel agent Christi Lee Dunham. We start off talking more about women in the maritime industry, which leads into a discussion about the outstanding maritime community we have here on the Columbia.

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Today we honor those lost 48 years ago, in the Edmund Fitzgerald tragedy

Today is the anniversary of the sinking of the ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior on November 10, 1975.

The wreck was one of the worst maritime disasters in US history, as 29 crewmembers perished in a massive storm. The ship sank just 17 miles from port, within sight of land, about the distance between Astoria and the Columbia River Bar. This haunting story is told so well by Canadian songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. His now famous song about the wreck is actually a factual account of what happened on that sad day.

The story is a haunting reminder that maritime work is dangerous. We honor those lost, and the families on land who mourn them.

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Women in the maritime industry: a chat with vessel agent Christi Lee Dunham, Part 4

Today we continue our interview with Christi Lee Dunham, vessel agent on the Columbia River. We’ve been hearing this week about her work in the maritime industry. She’s a primary liaison with arriving foreign flag cargo vessels, handling the red tape and other issues that are part and parcel for ships calling on US ports from other nations.

Today we’ll talk with Christi about how the industry has evolved for women since she first started out. For women interested in a maritime career, it’s good news.

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More about the work of ships agents – Christi Lee Dunham, Part 3

The work of ships agents is wide ranging – they deal with almost anything that might come up for an arriving foreign ship.

Today, in Part 3 of our series on the work of these maritime professionals, we’ll hear more from vessel agent Christi Lee Dunham, about how she works with the U.S Coast Guard and Customs when ships arrive. It’s a process that can be intimidating for crews, as officers scrutinize each person closely who’s aboard the ship.

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What does a vessel agent do?

Today we continue hearing excerpts from my chat with Christi Lee Dunham, who works as a ships or vessel agent locally here on the Columbia. Yesterday we learned a bit about her background in the maritime industry, and why she chose this field of work.

Today Christi answers a basic question, one that requires a detailed (and very interesting answer): what is a ships agent, and what do they do?

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