COVID vaccines for dockworkers

Today we’ll talk about the need for longshoremen in busy, congested California container ports to get vaccinated against COVID-19. They’re another vital part of the nation’s supply chain that’s being affected by the pandemic.

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Ocean noise is bad, but there’s a remedy in sight

The ocean is noisier than it’s ever been, and most of it is human caused noise that is making things difficult for creatures who live in the sea. A new study, published in the journal Science, says yes, the noise is bad, but there’s a lot we can do about it, and make the world a better place in many ways, as a result.

Note: photo is from Wikimedia Commons, credit Dr. Haus, Germany, “Caudal fin of a southern right whale.” 

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Why are containers falling off ships so much lately?

A look at the geeky side of ship dynamics: why are containers falling off ships more often in recent years than they did previously? The answer has to do with center of gravity, and an attribute in the design and loading of vessels called “metacentric height.”

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What happens when a ship is abandoned?

Today we take a look at the story of a ship and her crew, abandoned by its owners,, its crew left without pay or food, and how they handled the situation. It’s not as uncommon as you might think.

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Face masks required on commercial vessels

The CDC just issued a mandate requiring personnel on all commercial vessels to wear masks. We’ll take a look at what that might mean.

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Coast Guard rescues crew member from cargo ship

We often think of the U.S. Coast Guard rescuing people from fishing boats and recreational vessels, they also sometimes airlift injured or ill crewmembers from cargo ships. While ships usually have an office trained to handle medical emergencies, and some have remote video physician consultation, some illnesses or injuries require on land intervention. Today we talk about a cargo ship crew member who was airlifted in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the entrance to Puget Sound.

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More about running lights

A follow up on last week’s interview about ship running lights. Today we talk a bit about how lights on ships are part of the language of how ships communicate, in this case, at night. If you understand the “code” of running lights, it can tell you everything you need to know about that vessel out there in the dark.

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Running lights: the lights you see on ships at night

Today a look at running lights on ships, the kinds of lights you see at night on vessels that help them be seen by other vessels. We’ll also talk about other kinds of lights you may see on ships in the Columbia River. A talk with Columbia River Bar Pilot Capt. Robert Johnson, from the Ship Report archives.

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Bad weather at sea, an interview

Today we hear another archive interview, about what it’s like to maneuver a ship through bad weather at sea. We’ll hear from now retired Columbia River Bar Pilot Capt. Robert Johnson, about his experiences in god-awful weather in the open ocean.

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Ballast water nightmare: the story of the Cougar Ace

In this archive interview about an unfortunate car ship, we look back at the case of the Cougar Ace, a car ship full of brand new Mazdas, that ran into ballast water troubles off the Aleutians in the summer of 2006. While the crew was safely evacuated, the ship remained bobbing on its side, in the relatively calm waters of the ocean, but eventually had to be towed to Portland and her cars scrapped.  A member of the salvage team died in a fall on her sloping decks. Her dilemma? A computer failure caused too much ballast water to be pumped into tanks on one side of the ship. The weight imbalance caused her to lean way over, and the crew could not right her.

Photo: Kevin Bell, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Wikimedia Commons.

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