The Ship Report

Should you sail to Hawaii like Oliver Widger?It's a wonderful story about a person escaping a soul-crushing rut, and making a bold decision to pursue a dream. Oregonian Oliver Widger sailed out of Warrenton last month (with his cat) and made it safely all the way to Hawaii. He quit his job, bought a boat and sailed away, despite having little experience as a sailor.We've all dreamed of escaping at one time or another. So this begs the question: should you sail to Hawaii alone? Maybe. We'll talk today about what it takes.

Where do ships go when they travel on the river?Today we'll take a look at where ships go where they come to the Columbia. When we talk about the ship schedule, we hear that some ships are going to Portland, but some to the Port of Portland. What's the difference? We'll talk about all the options for ships when they arrive and have to go somewhere.

Two interesting vessels arriving in the river todayToday we'll talk about the first two arrivals on the river today: one a commercial fishing vessel coming into the river from Canada, and the other a bulk carrier here to pick up scrap metal.

Who's on the river today?Today a look at who's on the river today in terms of cargo vessels. A bit of gypsum, some cars, refined petroleum - and lots and lots of wheat.

Who's on the river today, and was that a containership we saw a few days ago? Yes, it was.A look at today's ship traffic, and a bit about why we are seeing some containerships here again.

Tall ship accident shows the dangers of big rivers for vessels when something goes wrongIn the news this week is the accident in NY harbor, where a visiting tall ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge as the vessel was attempting to head out to sea. We'll talk about the dangers of big rivers, and about tall ships that are used round the world to train cadets for the military in different countries, including the US.

PNW Offshore Race 2025On Thursday morning, 19 sailboats set out from Ilwaco, Wash., out to sea across the Columbia River Bar. At an appointed time, they crossed the starting line and began a four-day race northward, 193 miles to Victoria, BC. The annual PNW Offshore Race is underway.

Cruise ship in town today, and a look at who else is on the riverToday, another repositioning cruise visits Astoria, as blue water cruise ships make their annual spring migration up the West Coast, to their northern summer vacation grounds in BC and Alaska.And a quick look at today, the Ides of May.

Farewell, Clint CarterToday we honor a local business owner, North Coast Blues musician, and well loved community member who was instrumental in organizing iconic music festivals on the Long Beach Peninsula. Farewell, Clint Carter. We miss you already. Clint passed away yesterday after a long battle with cancer.He was also a person whose voice was heard every year on the Ship Report around the holidays.Today I'll share a Ship Report annual tradition (a little earlier than usual) - a song Clint wrote, and sang with the Ilwaco Merchants Association: the Crabpot Tree Carol. It's been a staple for years at Christmastime on the Peninsula, at the annual lighting of the Crabpot Christmas Tree.

Two unusual vessels on the river todayToday we'll see two unusual vessels on the river, the cable ship Global Sentinel and the Offshore Support Vessel HOS Black Watch. Neither one is a cargo ship. Instead, both are specialized work vessels that do specific tasks in the maritime industry.

An unusual cruise ship heads to Portland todayToday we'll see the Pride of American cruise ship arrive from Hawaii and head past Astoria (not stopping there) and head upriver to the shipyard in Portland for maintenance. Arriving from Hawaii, she has no passengers on board. An unusual thing about her is that she's US flagged, because her cruise route takes her between the Hawaiian Islands, all part of the state of Hawaii. That makes her a Jones Act vessel, and as such she must be US flagged, US-built and crewed by US citizens or nationals.

What determines transit time on the river? Lots of factors, that include current, tides and displacement Today we'll talk a little about a somewhat mindboggling topic: what happens when a ship goes by... it's connected to transit time, how long it takes a ship to get from one place to another. Massive ships move lots of water when they travel, and ships here are up against heavy current and tidal influences. We'll talk about what defines transit time of the river.

With another big cruise ship in town, we look at what's next for Astoria this seasonWe have yet another huge, blue-water cruise ship in town, those behemoths that come in from out in the ocean to dock in Astoria for the day. Today we'll take a look at what's ahead for the Port of Astoria's cruise ship season.

A look at who's on the river todayA look at ship traffic, with some diversions into the "whats" and "whys" of particular ships traveling on the river today.

Listener question about anchored ships and what it says about sudden public interest in shippingI got a listener question from someone this weekend who asked me why there were ships anchored in the river off Astoria. It's a telling question, in this season of public anxiety about tariffs. We'll talk about why those ships are a normal part of life here, and how to learn more about what may happen next.

Why so many cruise ships in Astoria all of a sudden? The answer is "repositioning cruises"Today we'll talk about marine weather and ship schedules, but also about why there were so many cruise ships in Astoria this week. The answer lies in a cruise industry protocol that happens around this time of year: repositioning cruises, to take ships from their winter grounds to their summer grounds. Astoria is along the way for these West Coast maneuvers, and people like out city. So they stop here along the way to somewhere else.

An unusual cruise ship adventure in the river todayLots of folks saw that big cruise ship sitting at anchor near Warrenton, instead of at the Port of Astoria where we all thought she should be.Turns out Mother Nature had other plans for her... there was a extra-low low tide this morning, and that meant that the ship had to wait in deeper water for the tide to rise, so there would be enough deep water at the dock so she could tie up there.It was a planned maneuver executed by the bar pilots. Once the tide rose enough, the ship was able by midday to head to the dock.Part of the unseen expertise that keeps ships of all kinds safe on the river.

Where exactly is the Columbia River Bar?Today, a perennial question that comes up now and again: where actually is the Columbia River Bar? It opens the door to an interesting and complex answer about how the river works and influences all our lives here.

Who's on the river today, and a look at a particular cargoA look at daily ship traffic and a particular cargo that goes to Longview: industrial salt.

The Vigorous drydock in Portland's shipyard is an unusual maritime marvelToday, an answer to a listener question about the Vigorous dry dock at the Swan Island shipyard in Portland. It's an engineering marvel, and the largest floating drydock in North America. We'll take a closer look.

Who's on the river today?A bit about today's ships: berths, cargo, anchorages - among the reasons ships come here to the Columbia River.

A look at what we know about this year's Rose Festival Fleet, and also, a big cruise ship in PortlandTwo things today: first, a look at preliminary info about this year's Rose Festival Fleet of visiting military ships due here in June on the river. And, why was there a big ocean-going cruise ship heading upriver recently? We'll talk about all of that, and a look at marine weather and ship traffic for today.

Self loading ships, a special breedToday we have an unusual cargo ship on the river: a self loader called the CSL Tecumseh. She's bringing gypsum to Rainier. What makes her unusual is she has all the gear she needs to load and unload her own cargo at the dock. We'll talk about why that's important.

A closer look at the Columbia's new ship anchorage, and a bit about anchoring on the riverEarlier this month, I made a passing reference to there being a new ship anchorage on the Columbia River near Skamakowa. Today we'll look at that in more depth and talk about the complicated affair of anchoring a gigantic ship on a swift, powerful and capricious river.

Special Ship Report archive interview: all about car ships - Part 5This week we'll be talking about those unusual looking ships we see on the river, the big blocky carships, called ROROs, for Roll-on/Roll-off. They bring us our cars, and they're complex vessels. We'll talk with a bar pilot about what they're like inside and what it takes to pilot one.

Special Ship Report archive interview: all about car ships - Part 4This week we're talking about those unusual looking ships we see on the river, the big blocky carships, called ROROs, for Roll-on/Roll-off. They bring us our cars, and they're complex vessels. We'll talk with a bar pilot about what they're like inside and what it takes to pilot one.

Special Ship Report archive interview: all about car ships - Part 3This week we're talking about those unusual looking ships we see on the river, the big blocky carships, called ROROs, for Roll-on/Roll-off. They bring us our cars and their complex vessels. We'll talk with a bar pilot about what they're like inside and what it takes to pilot one.

Special Ship Report archive interview: all about car ships - Part 2This week we'll be talking about those unusual looking ships we see on the river, the big blocky carships, called ROROs, for Roll-on/Roll-off. They bring us our cars, and they're complex vessels. We'll talk with a bar pilot about what they're like inside and what it takes to pilot one.

Special Ship Report archive interview: all about car ships - Part 1This week we'll be talking about those unusual looking ships we see on the river, the big blocky carships, called ROROs, for Roll-on/Roll-off. They bring us our cars, and they're complex vessels. We'll talk with a bar pilot about what they're like inside and what it takes to pilot one.

A new anchorage on the river, and some time away from the showToday we'll talk about a little bit of everything: a new anchorage on the river, today's ship traffic, and why I'll be taking a little time away from the show next week (you'll hear a great archive interview series) to tend to some medical needs.

Pilot BoatsToday, a look at a new pilot boat folks are seeing on the waterfront in Astoria, and a bit about pilot boats in general: they're a specialized boat built for a particular, demanding task.

Stabilizing cargo at seaWe'll talk about today's ships, including one that has a cargo that must be securely lashed down. We'll talk about how ships keep cargo in place as they bounce around at sea.

Ships, grain and rain - why it can take longer to load wheat in the PNWToday we'll talk about the many grain ships that are currently on the river, and why it can take longer to load them than other kinds of ships, especially in the rainy PNW.

Who's on the river today?A look at today's ship traffic, including a Jones Act tanker carrying cargo between US domestic ports.

What causes wind to come from one direction or another?Today we'll look at the marine weather forecast and talk a little about wind. Why does the wind come from the west, or some other direction? And a look at ship traffic.

Who's on the river today? Today we'll take a look at ship traffic, and at how the Columbia remains what it has historically been when it comes to cargo: an big export region for raw materials.

A look at wind, waves and shipsWe'll look at ships on the river today, and also talk about the relationship between wind and waves.

A look at who's on the river, and ship paint and colorsToday we'll take a look at ship traffic and talk a little about the fairly standard color scheme you see on the bulk carriers that anchor here.

How local shipping gets back to normal after bad weather on the barWe've had some interesting weather this week, including a thunderstorm warning that didn't quite materialize. But along with that storm came bad weather at sea, so difficult that the Columbia River Bar was on red status for the past day or so. That means ship traffic has been halted going in and out of the river temporarily, until sea conditions improve.Ships will starting moving again today, and that creates some interesting patterns relating to ship transits, in the aftermath of bad weather. So we'll talk about that today.

Stormy weather continues offshoreWe got through our odd and threatening forecast yesterday, but while things have calmed down on land, they remain turbulent in the ocean offshore.

With spring break upon us, beware spring runoff in the riverIt's spring break and folks will be out enjoying the river. There are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to the Columbia and related waterways, and that includes spring runoff and all it brings: cold water, fast currents and dangerous debris in the river.

A look at today's ship scheduleWe'll take a look at who's coming and going on the river today, and at some of the patterns we see in ships that come here often.

NTSB Report recommends local bridges be included in national safety inspectionsThe National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), as part of its investigation into the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore a year ago, is recommending that 68 bridges nationwide be evaluated to determine their hardiness in case of a ship strike. The Baltimore bridge was hit by a 1000 foot long container ship and collapsed.On the list are three local bridges: the Astoria Megler Bridge, the Lewis and Clark Bridge in Longview, and the St Johns Bridge in Portland.The NTSB recommendations are purely precautionary and not based on existing safety concerns. The NTSB believes that had the Baltimore bridge been inspected as they are recommending now, that tragedy could have been avoided.The NTSB has compiled a list of bridges nationwide in need of assessment, based on criteria such as age, clearance, and whether they have support piers in the water.

The first day of Spring is hereToday we'll talk about the vernal equinox, the first day of astronomical spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Did you know that the sun rises exactly in the east today and sets precidely in the west? We'll talk about this and other interesting fact about the first day of spring.

Water depth, and the complexity of riversAt high tide the river off Astoria seems like a wide uninterrupted expanse of river. At low tide, mudflats abound. Today we'll talk about the complexity of rivers and why they pose challenges for vessels.

A bit about hail - a startling weather phenomenon that's been happening latelyWe've been seeing abrupt, short lived hail storms lately. So today we'll take a look at what causes hail and other related solid precipitation.

A really big wave offshore, and a look at the concept of significant wave heightWe recently saw a 63-foot wave off the mouth of the river in the ocean, recorded by a data buoy offshore. While this is a big wave for us, it's also within the parameters of a set of wave parameters called "significant wave height."

A bit of weather coming in, and possible effects on the barWe've got a bit of stormy weather coming in, and so a good time to answer a listener question about the Columbia River Bar, and how ship traffic is affected by weather.

USNS Matthew Perry arrives in the river this morningToday we have a Military Sealift Command cargo ship headed to Portland to the shipyard at Swan Island for repairs and maintenance. We'll learn a little today about this interesting military vessel.

Lots of anchored ships todayToday we have an abundance of anchored ships on the river, so many that a couple are waiting offshore. We'll talk about how that can happen.

Who's on the river today?A look at today's ship traffic on the Columbia.