The Ship Report is All Things Maritime!

Ship Report podcasts take you to a special corner of the world: the Mighty Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest. Nautical lore, news and info, mariner interviews, daily international ship traffic, and the inside scoop on our formidable marine weather. Join maritime journalist Joanne Rideout on the Ship Report, as we explore the fascinating nautical world, on the Upper Left Edge of Oregon and beyond.  The Ship Report is proud to celebrate 20 years on the air!

Dredging on the Columbia, and a new beneficial use for dredge spoils

Today the answer to a listener question about dredging on the Columbia River, and a look at new beneficial use for dredge spoils: the many tons of sediment vacuumed off the river bottom annually.

The rhyme and reason of ship names

Today we'll talk about a ship in the Astoria Anchorage that's garnered some attention lately because of her name: the bulk carrier Kobayashi Maru is out there waiting to go upriver and pick up her cargo. That's prompted shipwatchers locally to wonder whether she was...

Abandoned ships and crews: a global problem

Today, a listener question about a dilapidated looking ship in the Astoria Anchorage. Does a ship's appearance signal problems on board? Possibly, but not necessarily. She could just need a good paint job. The ocean is hard on ships. However, the question speaks to...

Trouble at the Suez and Panama canals affects the whole world

Today we'll take a look at how and why recent shipping troubles at the Suez Canal and Panama canals affect us all. Ships now must use alternate strategies to get around two of the most vital waterways in the world, and the effect could be higher inflation and...

Car carriers, ballast water, and the complexity of modern ships

Today, a listener question about car carriers and ballast water. We'll talk about how highly automated many systems are on modern ships and how a computer malfunction can lead to dangerous ballast water problems. Photo: The Cougar Ace car carrier on its side in the...

Columbia River Ship Traffic

Approximate Vessel Travel Times
  • Portland/Vancouver -Astoria: 6-8 hours
  • Kalama -Astoria: 5 hours
  • Longview -Astoria: 3.5 hours
  • Columbia River Bar – Astoria: 1.5 hours
Times vary according to tidal conditions, current, weather, and individual vessel horsepower.
Water Speed & Currents

Curated Links

Arts
Tsunami
Tides

When’s High Tide where you are?  Find Tidal info at www.saltwatertides.com

Tide times are often listed in 24 hour time.  For times after noon, subtract 1200 from the time to get regular clock time. Ex: 1300 hrs – 1200 = 1:00 pm)

MLLW:  Also, tides are referenced to Mean Lower Low Water, a reference point for depth on many nautical charts. MLLW is the average of the lower of the two low tides in a day, over a 19-year cycle. Minus tides are lower than MLLW.

Adjustments: If you’re right on the coast, subtract an hour from these times. Upriver, highs and lows happen later. For instance, in Knappa, add an hour. In Clatskanie, add 2 hours and 15 minutes.

The Ship Report
Ship Report Podcasts

Dredging on the Columbia, and a new beneficial use for dredge spoils

Today the answer to a listener question about dredging on the Columbia River, and a look at new beneficial use for dredge spoils: the many tons of sediment vacuumed off the river bottom annually.

The rhyme and reason of ship names

Today we'll talk about a ship in the Astoria Anchorage that's garnered some attention lately because of her name: the bulk carrier Kobayashi Maru is out there waiting to go upriver and pick up her cargo. That's prompted shipwatchers locally to wonder whether she was...

Abandoned ships and crews: a global problem

Today, a listener question about a dilapidated looking ship in the Astoria Anchorage. Does a ship's appearance signal problems on board? Possibly, but not necessarily. She could just need a good paint job. The ocean is hard on ships. However, the question speaks to...

Trouble at the Suez and Panama canals affects the whole world

Today we'll take a look at how and why recent shipping troubles at the Suez Canal and Panama canals affect us all. Ships now must use alternate strategies to get around two of the most vital waterways in the world, and the effect could be higher inflation and...

Car carriers, ballast water, and the complexity of modern ships

Today, a listener question about car carriers and ballast water. We'll talk about how highly automated many systems are on modern ships and how a computer malfunction can lead to dangerous ballast water problems. Photo: The Cougar Ace car carrier on its side in the...

The Ship Report, the show about All Things Maritime, features maritime news and information, local and international, based in the Pacific Northwest in Astoria, Oregon. shipreport.net. Podcasts available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts

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

Columbia River Bar
“Pilot transfer” is when a pilot disembarks or boards a ship. Ships generally must by law have a river or bar pilot on board when they are on the Columbia or Willamette Rivers. The bar and river pilots have separate pilotage grounds defined by the Oregon Legislature.

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Meet Joanne Rideout
Producer Joanne Rideout is a journalist and photographer who created The Ship Report in 2003. Since then Joanne and has been interviewing, writing and photographing the maritime world and its interesting people as much as she possibly can.
Ship Horn Signals

Commonly Heard off Astoria

One prolonged blast every two minutes or less: vessel operating in fog.

Five consecutive horn blasts: warning signal that means literally “I do not know your intention.” This generally means another vessel is in the way of a ship in the channel, and is being asked to move before they collide.

Three short blasts: Vessel going in reverse

One long blast followed by three short: signal for the change of pilots.