The Ship Report

A bit of snow is possible... We're looking at the possibility of some snow between the coast and Portland later this week. Keep your eyes peeled and watch forecasts. And if you're razor clamming on the beach, bundle up and watch for sneaker waves.

A look at the forecast: more snow? Well, we had a tiny "snowpocalypse" in Astoria Monday and Tuesday - and by that I mean short periods of intense snow that were really cool and pretty (for those of us who love snow) but disappeared almost as quickly as it arrived. Will there be more? We'll take a look at the forecast for the rest of the week. And some ships...

The bulbous bow: an odd-looking, but very efficient, ship design feature There's a unusual-looking ship design feature that's on pretty much all the ships that arrive here on the Columbia. When a ship is loaded, it's out of sight below the waterline, but on ships that are waiting for cargo, like in anchorages, you can sometimes see it. It's called the bulbous bow. It looks like a r...

Gulls and updrafts: why these birds seem to love the Megler Bridge Today we'll talk a little about the movement of air, birds, and why the Astoria Megler Bridge is a great place to watch certain kinds of birds fairly close up, as they soar near the roadway. And why, according to birders, you really shouldn't refer to a gull as a "seagull."

Sneaker wave risk this week reminds us of cold water hazards at the beach We'll have a sneaker wave beach hazard statement in effect later this week for our region, and it's a good opportunity to remind folks that sneaker wave risk is real, and potentially deadly. Even more so when the ocean water is so cold, as it is right now.

The plumb bow: an interesting design feature on newer ships Today we'll talk about a familiar sight these days on the waterfront: a ship with a plumb or straight up and down bow. There are reasons for this design feature, and we'll talk about some of them.

The HOS Black Watch: high tech offshore supply vessel on the river today Today we have an vessel on the river, one of a type that we don't see very often. She's the HOS Black Watch, one of a kind of vessel that's used in special projects worldwide. It's called an Offshore Supply Vessel - a jack of all trades craft that can assist with tricky offshore projects assisting oil rigs and...

Seafarer survey shows many sailors find life at sea stressful A new study published in 2025 by World Maritime University, says "persistently long working hours, limited opportunities for rest and shore leave, and high levels of work-related stress" among sailors is a matter of serious concern in the maritime industry. The survey included about 4500 respondents across 99 countries, includ...

A long workday on the river heading to Portland While we see ships pass by Astoria and other areas on the river, that's only a fraction of their workday when they cross the Columbia Rive Bar. A transit can take and entire standard workday - 8 hours - a long trip for crews who have already spend several weeks at sea to get here.

How ships fit into the global supply chain, and a look at who's on the river today We see ships coming and going every day, and while they are interesting to look at, they also represent an important part of the wider web of global trade, and are responsible for bring us goods we use in our every day lives. So, ships are truly meaningful to you and me, whether we realize it or not.

Rising sea heights could affect ship traffic on Thursday With rain, gales and elevated sea heights in the forecast, it's another interesting opportunity to talk about weather and how it affects ships crossing between the vast ocean and the turbulent river.

Big ship schedule today - let's talk about it! We have a sizeable ship schedule today and some interesting vessels arriving from far flung places.

Anchorage goings on With so much photography happening of our local ships here in Astoria, people are noticing marine traffic more than ever before. It's a good time to take another look at "what's going on in the anchorage." As it turns out, a lot is happening out there, all of it fascinating.

Who's on the river today? A look at today's ship schedule, highlighting some particularly interesting ships on the river today. And, a look at our marine weather.

Northern lights, ship schedule, weather and a bit about ship names Today we'll look at the unusual appearance of aurora borealis in our region, the extended weather forecast (when will we return to our typical rainy pattern?), a look at the schedule and a bit about ship names.

A look at ships and cargo Today let's take a look at who's on the river, but also review a bit of general info about the types of ships that come here, where they come from, and some significant differences between them.

Salt vs fresh water: how does water salinity affect sea conditions? Today we'll walk about an interesting but obscure topic for most land dwellers: how stormy sea conditions can vary between large bodies of fresh and salt water, like the Great Lakes and the Pacific Ocean. It's not something we usually think about on land, but mariners know it well. And a bit more about what local condition...

Good weather coming our way, and a look at ships and cargo We have what looks to be a week-long spell of sunshine or at least "not-raining" coming our way. We'll also take a look at ships and cargo, and how cargo determines the types of ships you see in a given region.

A foggy time on the lower Columbia River It's been pretty foggy in parts of the lower Columbia region the past few days. Or not foggy at all, depending on where you are. It's part of a a larger pattern this week statewide of dense foggy conditions. We'll talk about what might be causing our fog here and what ships do under such conditions.

The USNS Grasp, a Military Sealift Command rescue and salvage ship, comes to Portland We're seeing unusual ships arriving in the river this week so far. Yesterday it was the USCGC Healy, the Coast Guard's biggest ship, headed to the Swan Island shipyard. Today it's the USNS Grasp, a highly specialized rescue and salvage ship, whose job it is to save people and ships when they get in tr...

The USCGC Healy, US Coast Guard icebreaker and the agency's largest vessel, comes to the Columbia Today we'll see the USCGC Healy, a Coast Guard icebreaker and the agency's largest vessel, enters the river early this morning on her way to the Vigor shipyard in Portland for about 8 months of repairs and maintenance. She's an unusual vessel with some interesting history behind her na...

The Columbia River Bar is on Red status, so what happens now? Yesterday the Columbia River Bar was on Red status, per the Columbia River Bar Pilots. It's the most severe restriction on ship traffic they can impose, and it means most, if not all, ships will be restricted from coming in or out of the river till the weather improves. We have a big potential ship schedule today, meaning lots of sh...

A look at how marine pilots decide which ships will cross the bar in challenging weather We've got another round of inclement weather coming in, and it's a good time to talk about how our marine pilots, who are in charge of assisting ships in and out of the river, decide when the weather is too difficult to allow ships to transit until things calm down. We'll talk about that today.

Who's on the river - and some weather comin' in, during which it will rain until it stops Now that the fleeting festivities of New Years have faded away, let's turn our attention to the workhorse ships that continue to do their work despite holidays, weather and other distractions. Also, we'll look at the weather, which is worsening a bit again - and we'll talk about my favorit...

New Year's Eve Ship Horns in Astoria Hear Astoria's visiting ships ring in 2026 with the sonorous sounds of their horns at midnight on New Year's Eve on the Columbia River.