The Ship Report

Pilot Boats

Today, 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 PNW

Today 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 ships

We'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 colors

Today 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 bar

We'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 offshore

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