The Ship Report

Upriver rescue Today we'll talk about a rescue upriver on the Columbia near Vancouver. A reminder that the river is a formidable force all along its length, and not just in the areas near the mouth where a lot of rescues, weather and other influences happen and get a lot of attention.

A look at today's ship schedule It's great to see ships moving on the river again. We'll have some relatively calm weather this week, so we'll take a look at who's on the river today.

More weather on the way Another storm is heading out way, with the potential to disrupt the flow of ship traffic on the river. This is pretty normal and happens in the winter time. Safety is essential for ships and the people on them.

Waterspout off the Long Beach Peninsula shows the serious nature of local weather After our near-miss with a severe storm that walloped Washington to the north of us, a thunderstorm off the Long Beach Peninsula yesterday spawned a waterspout in the ocean off Long Beach. The waterborne tornado moved on up the coast to Tokeland and beyond. And we have more weather on the way. Don't be tempted to fee...

Our weather continues, with a look at how vessels handle it at sea That dangerous bomb cyclone storm is moving on to the north of us, leaving us with big seas for the next day or so. It was a close call... a storm packing hurricane force winds that somehow missed a direct hit on Oregon and Washington.

Bomb cyclone with deep low pressure shapes our coastal weather this week An intense low pressure storm called a bomb cyclone is churning out in the ocean a couple hundred miles offshore of the Oregon and Washington coast. While it's not predicted to make landfall here locally, it will send us some walloping winds, seas and rain. We'll talk about what to expect.

The ubiquitious, but seldom noticed, Quonset hut Today a look at a common but oft-overlooked maritime structure - the Quonset hut. First designed and built for the US Navy in 1941, they were styled after a WWI version called the Nissen hut. Once used in military installations during WWII, the Navy sold them surplus to the public after the war, and the rest, as they say, is history. And we'll hear...

Who's coming and going on the river today? A look at today's complement of cargo vessels on the river.

As weather improves, a backlog of ships getting back to work Whenever the Columbia River Bar at the mouth of the river temporarily becomes too dangerous to cross because of bad weather, the result a day or so later is a backlog of ships that have been waiting to leave or to arrive. That creates a steady stream of vessels, 24/7, until everything is back to normal.

As rough weather keeps the bar on Red status, we'll talk about how weather matters here Today the bar is on Red status because of the weather, meaning few if any ships will cross the bar today at the river's entrance. We'll talk about how weather matters here, and why it can seem calm off Astoria and be crazy dangerous just 17 miles to the west.

Inclement weather and King Tides add up to increased beach risks and flooding Today we take a look at our seasonally rowdy weather forecast, which already has the Columbia River Bar on Red status this morning, meaning ship traffic is halted across the river entrance until conditions improve.  Add that to King Tides we'll see starting on Friday, and it's a recipe for some serious beach hazards you...

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald Every year around this time, I do a show about an enduring maritime tragedy: the sinking of the ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior on Nov. 10, 1975. The incident, where the ship was lost in a storm and all hands perished, is emblematic of the risks all mariners take when they go to sea, and of the grief endured by their loved ones on land - waiting fo...

The invention of the shipping container The presence of a large containership, outbound on the river today, offers a good opportunity to talk about the invention of a device that revolutionized the shipping industry: the now ubiquitous shipping container. This commonly seen metal cargo box, which made its debut on a ship 68 years ago, soon permanently changed how cargo was shipped worldwide.

An unexpected change of sea route means less stress for some sailors Today we take another look at the lives of sailors at sea, and talk about how some ships that formerly transited the Suez Canal are now taking a longer route around the southern tip of Africa, to avoid violent vessel attacks in the Red Sea. The result for diverted ships has been voyages that last about two weeks longer than befor...

Who's on the ships we see passing by? Today, a look at the lives of the people who live and work on the ships that travel the world and bring us all our "stuff." We'll look at the latest data from the Seafarers Happiness Index, which assesses how life is going at asea for sailors. and a look at what countries sailors are mostly like to hail from.

Voting at Sea Today, as we stand on the brink of a highly significant US election, we'll take a look at how mariners at sea vote, both in the merchant marine and in the US military.

Vessel agent: a complex and interesting job on the river This week we're hearing excerpts from an interview I did with Christi Lee Dunham, vessel agent on the Columbia River.

Ship's agent: more on this fascinating job on the river We continue this week's deep dive into the world of vessel agents on the Columbia River

Vessel agent: a complex and interesting profession More on the unique job of being a vessel agent.

Vessel agent continued... We continue our look at the unique job of vessel agent on the Columbia River.

Vessel agent: unique job on the river This week we hear excerpts from an interview I did with Christi Lee Dunham, a vessel agent who works with ships on the Columbia River.

Stormy weather at sea A look back in the Ship Report archives at an interview I did with Capt. Robert Johnson in the early 2000s, about what it's like aboard a ship, from the captain's perspective, when their vessel is caught in a storm.

Who's on the river today? A look at today's ship traffic, which includes a domestic petroleum tanker, a military vessel and the usual complement of bulk carriers. Ships traveling 24/7 on the river as usual.

Shipbreaking: a necessary and problematic industry Today, in answer to a listener question, a look at a troubling but necessary industry: shipbreaking. Where do old ships go to die? The answer mostly is to a shipbreaking yard somewhere in South Asia, to countries like India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. We'll talk about the hazards of shipbreaking as is it conducted in most cases. We'll also look at p...

Interesting vessels on the river this week Today we'll take a closer look at two unusual vessels on the river this week: the USNS Eagleview, which is currently docked at the Port of Astoria. And the Pan Viva, a ship that had a close call in Alaska recently in bad weather. A lot of difficult, careful work by the Coast Guard and and coorinated resources saved this ship from a disaster.