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Food poisoning and crew morale
Oct 03, 2022The Reuters news story about 12 crew members on a Chinese flag bulk carrier dying of apparent food poisoning last week highlights the importance of safe, heathful food on board ship. Wise captains make sure their crews are well fed for many reasons that go way beyond nutrition.
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Ships and bad weather
Sep 30, 2022With Hurricane Ian wreaking havoc on the East Coast, and our own difficult weather season creeping up on us, it’s a good day to talk about bad weather and ships. It’s important to know your ship and your storm before you allow them to meet.
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At the top of the list of risky maritime professions: the Coast Guard
Sep 29, 2022Yesterday we talked about risky water-based work, where people sometimes die in the course of their workday in commerical maritime professions, like marine piloting and fishing.
Today we talk about the people who go out to rescue those people when they get in trouble. That’s the Coast Guard, another whole realm of risk. They’re trained to go out in the most perilous situations and bring people back alive.
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The risks mariners take
Sep 28, 2022Today, a story from Atlantic Canada, where a mariner fell from a pilot boat this week in the course of a night’s work, and did not survive. We’ll talk about the inherent hazards in maritime jobs, and the risks those professionals take to bring us our stuff, or that delicious seafood dinner.
And speaking of risky maritime professions that also have a high profile around here… tomorrow we’ll talk about the Coast Guard.
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Our surprising yet reassuringly typical ship schedule
Sep 27, 2022Today on the river, we have a cool ocean-going tugboat of many talents headed for Alaska, and a wonderfully reassuring complement of wheat-bearing ships. All proof that the world continues to spin on its axis, and we are all still here.
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A look at today’s ship schedule
Sep 26, 2022Today we take another indepth look at today’s ship schedule, including how much fuel cruise ships use (we have one in town today), and the lovely meaning of the word “ubuntu,” which is part of one ship’s name on the river today.
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The autumnal equinox brings shorter days
Sep 23, 2022Today we talk about the autumnal equinox, with its shorter days, which have actually been happening since June but we didn’t notice it. We’ll talk about what’s happening and what to expect between now and December, when the days start getting longer again.
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Low water on the Columbia
Sep 22, 2022Today we talk about low water in the Columbia River, something that tends to happen this time of year. It’s a time when ships take extra precautions when traveling on the river, to make sure they have enough water under the keel.
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Four Jones Act vessels on the river today
Sep 21, 2022Today there are four Jones Act vessels on the river: ships that were built here, are registered in the US, and are crewed by US citizens or nationals. They are a special breed of vessel. We’ll talk about the Jones Act and what it means for US shipping.
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Ballast water & invasive species
Sep 20, 2022As a follow up on yesterday’s show about the costs of operating ships, today we consider another cost of a different sort: the cost (which can be counted in more ways than simply money) of invasive species introduced through ballast water.
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