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Archive Podcasts:
The wonderful back story of a “mystery ship”
May 30, 2023Folks were tlaking recently about a ship that appeared off the coast in the ocean off Cannon Beach and appeared to be running back and forth up and down the coast in a small area.
While it turned out to be one of our Military Sealift Command vessels waiting for a berth in Portland, there’s a wonderful backstory about why the ship was so close to shore. A reminder that just because we don’t know why something is happening, that doesn’t mean the worst.
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A closer look at unusual ship on the river this week
May 26, 2023This week some shipwatchers noticed the GSL Eleni coming down river: an odd sight, she was a containership with no containers on board. We’ll talk a little about her backstory.
Photo of the GSL Eleni, courtesy Gregg Akehurst, shared with permission from the Ship Report Community Photo Page on Facebook. The ship is heading downriver on the Columbia with a support tug on her stern.
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A look at marine pilots on the river
May 25, 2023Today we take a look at something that goes relatively unnoticed here on the river every day: the work of marine pilots on ships here on the Columbia River. They are part of a network of marine professionals who work behind the scenes to ensure safe transit of vessels from the ocean to ports and back again.
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The oft-misunderstood but essential lifejacket
May 24, 2023In most drowning accidents, the victim was not wearing a PFD, or lifejacket. It’s a sad and somewhat bewildering statistic that most people don’t wear a lifejacket when boating or otherwise in the water. Today we talk about some of the misconceptions about the lowly PFD. It’s an often-ignored piece of ordinary gear that could save your life.
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Drought at the Panama Canal
May 23, 2023The Panama Canal region is in the midst of a drought, and there simply is not as much water in the canals and lakes as ships are accustomed to. Starting this week, they’ll have to load less cargo. This will have a ripple effect through the shipping industry that will cause costs to rise for some goods.
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Where exactly is the Columbia River Bar?
May 22, 2023This “simple” listener question sent me down an interesting path of research and talking with experts. The answers show the wide influence the power of the river has in our lives.
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A look at ship running lights
May 21, 2023We’ll take a look back in the Ship Report Archives today, and learn about ship running lights, those essential lights that ships have on at night.
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Mystery ship revealed as USNS oiler heads for Portland
May 19, 2023So there was this ship in the ocean off Cannon Beach this week that had a lot of people wondering… and well, today – the mystery is solved. That ship came into the river and headed to the ship yard at Swan Island. We’ll talk more today about her, why she seemed a bit mysterious, and why sometimes things that may confuse us as the public may just be part of the regular work day for the maritime professionals here in our region.
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USNS Mercy heads out to sea after major shipyard refit in Portland
May 18, 2023Cool ship alert: the USNS Mercy heads downriver this morning from the shipyard in Portland after a major upgrade that took months. She’s a US Navy hospital ship with 1,000 beds, 12 operating rooms, and lots of other services on board.
Image courtesy: Jim Bedient, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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Out of place ship tells a story of skill in an emergency
May 17, 2023There’s a ship anchored in an unusual place on the Columbia near Puget Island. Occasionally ships have problems that cause them to stop in places they normally would not. Luckily, we have an abundance of skilled mariners to solve problems and get things back to normal quickly.
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