The Ship Report

How does the "gas pedal" work on a ship? Today, the answer to an interesting listener question about how the bridge communicates propulsion decisons to the engine room. In a car, we'd call this the "gas pedal," but it works differently on ships.

The Seafarers Happiness Index shows improved morale in 2024 Crews are feeling happier on board ship these days. We'll take a look at the factors that keep sailors happy when they're away from home for months. Show transcript available here: http://shipreport.nfshost.com/audio/Transcript050324.pdf

All female sailboat crew makes history winning round the world race The crew of the yacht Maiden, all women, made racing history last month when they won the Ocean Globe Race, becoming the only all-female crew to ever win a round the world race.

The nautical and historical origins of May Day Today is May Day, the first day of the month of May. We'll talk about the day's historical origins as a celebration. Then we'll delve into its contemporary nautical meaning. The expression "mayday" has saved lives for over a century, when uttered over VHF radio as a distress signal to the Coast Guard. Transcript of this show avai...

USCG rescue off Tillamook shows Coast Guard adaptability in an emergency Today's show is about an unusual Coast Guard rescue in the waters off Tillamook, where they were able to rescue someone whose ship was further out to sea than would normally be possible for a USCG helicopter rescue. Crews adapted to add flying range to their aircraft, and provided ICU services in the helicopter for a crit...

A look at vessel pollution in port Today we'll take a quick look at another cruise ship due in Astoria today, and then we'll talk about ways the maritime industry is working to reduce vessel pollution in port. This incudes the development of all-electric tugboats, a relatively new option in the world of commercial vessels. Today's Ship Report Episode Transcript here: http://shipreport....

Two cruise ships in Astoria today, more to come Today we'll look at an unusual occurrence in Astoria: two cruise ships in town on the same day. One will anchor at the Port of Astoria. The other will anchor off the downtown waterfront and take passengers to and from land in a small boat called a launch. We'll also talk about the spring and fall cruise ship calendar for blue water (ocean) cr...

Loss of Portland container service could hit small businesses hard Today we take a look at a business story about the fallout in a port on the East Coast that recently lost container service in a disaster. In Baltimore, we saw a container ship destroy a bridge, and huge and awful consequences for that city and its people. As that city recovers and efforts continue to clean up the debris, the loss...

Who's on the river today? Today we'll look at ships coming and going on the river and what's on board.

Beached boat on the Long Beach Peninsula shows hazards of coastal waters Today we'll take a look at the ongoing story of a cabin cruiser that washed ashore on the beach on the Long Beach Peninsula. It's a story of a very lucky man and his dog, for sure - but what's next for them, as the boat sits aground on the sand? We'll talk about what his options are, and how marine salvage law...

A look at where cargo goes after it reaches port Today we'll take a look at some common arriving cargoes on the Columbia, and what happens to them after they are unloaded from the ship that brought them here.

More about general average liability for cargo owners - potentially daunting... Today I'll revisit a concept I talked about on Monday's show... General Average - an ancient maritime principle that governs how losses in a ship disaster are shared between stakeholders. I was talking about the containership Dali and what sort of liability cargo owners on that ship could face. Turns out quite...

Port of Woodland to add terminal on the Columbia Continuing our discussion about changes in ports and cargo service on the Columbia, today we'll talk about the decision by the Port of Woodland to buiild a marine terminal and being serving cargo ships for the first time. The port has a partnership with a cement company that will help make it happen. We'll talk about what an official port di...

Containers out of Astoria? Today we'll talk about a listener comment regarding the Port of Portland's decision to suspend container service this fall out of its Terminal 6 facilities. A person suggested that containers be shipped out of Astoria instead. We'll talk about why that is highly unlikely. Mostly, it's a matter of highly expensive infrastructure. But also, equipment costs...

The Port of Portland announced end to container ship service at Terminal 6 The big maritime news locally this week is the announcement by the Port of Portland that they will end container ship service to the Port's Terminal 6 as of October 1. The decision will mean the Columbia River will no longer have container service, since Portland is the only port with the infrastructure and equipment to...

The pricey maritime law of "general average" There's an ancient tenet of maritime law that is cropping up in reports about the catastrophe in Baltimore harbor with the containership Dali. It's called "general average," and it has to do with who pays when a ship runs into expensive trouble during a voyage. This law can force those customers whose cargo is on the ship to...

USCG rescue swimmer interview: epilogue The final episode in our series on the work of USCG rescue swimmers.

Rescue swimmer interview continues This week we're hearing excerpts from an interview I did with a USCG rescue swimmer based at Air Station Astoria.

Rescue Swimmer Interview, continued More from a fascinating interview with a Coast Guard rescue swimmer from Air Station Astoria.

More about USCG rescue swimmers Another episode about rescue swimmers and their demanding work.

USCG Rescue Swimmers A look back in the Ship Report archives at an interview I did with a USCG swimmer, while I recover from a nasty cold.

A look at Baltmore's salvage efforts, and big ships on our river Today an update on how things are going in Baltimore, and a bit about a huge container ship that is on our river right now: the containership MSC Flavia, which by some measures is even larger than the containerhip Dali in Baltimore harbor.

Unusual ships on the river today, and possibly the return of a familiar ship to Astoria. A look at our ship schedule, which includes a military cargo ship and a missile tracking defense vessel. And a bit of good news about the American Empress, the paddlewheel cruise ship that used to be at Astoria's 17th St. dock until her company folded. Another company has bought her and she may be back.

Car manufacturing: a global phenomenon Answering a listener question about a car carrier with Toyotas headed for the Port of Portland. Today we'll talk about the many countries in which familiar autos brands are manufactured, including vehicles from American companies. These days our cars, and the parts that comprise them, are made around the world. It's part of our global economy.

Cargo on the Columbia Today we'll take a look at our ships on the river from a slightly different perspective: a closer look at what's on board and what it's used for.