Transit times on the river for ships

Today, a look at how long it takes big ships to get from one place to another on the Columbia River.

Do all big vessels take a pilot on board?

Today, a listener question about marine pilots: which ships take them and which don't?

In the majority of cases, it's a matter of the law. And we certainly see a lot of local domestic vessels, like tugs and excursion vessels, and US-flagged river cruise ships, that don't take pilots. Their captains know the river well.

But almost all large visiting vessels operating in land waterways, worldwide, use the services of marine pilots, for safety reasons.

A visitor asks about ships at anchor off Astoria

I got a question about ships at anchor off Astoria, one I've answered before... but it's always good to revisit these very visible and wonderfully local examples of "how things work" on the river.

Today we'll talk about tides and their effects on anchored ships, and what their appearance and position tell us about what is happening on the river.

When is a sinking ship not a sinking ship? When she's a split-hull hopper dredge

Today's riddle: When is a sinking ship not a sinking ship? In this case, this week on the lower Columbia, it's probably the split-hull hopper dredge Bayport, a ship that is designed to split in half without sinking.

The Pacific Tracker heads downriver today

Today we'll talk about what ships are traveling on the river today. Among them is the Pacific Tracker, a US military vessel that tracks missile testing in the North Pacific region.

A look at ship running lights: lights that are on at night

Today, an archive interview about ship running lights, featuring Capt. Robert Johnson, a now retired Columbia River Bar Pilot.

Listener questions about marine pilots

Today, some questions about pilots from a new listener to the Ship Report. A great opportunity to talk about one of my favorite subjects.

Steve asked, "Are pilots onboard for the whole journey, say Astoria to Portland?  At anchorage, as well? Also, are there pilot "bases" in Kalama and Portland in addition to Astoria?" 

Today we'll talk about these questions and more about the fascinating topic of marine pilots.

A look at ballast water, rolling cargoes, and the MSC Damla heads downriver

Interesting vessel alert for Tuesday morning: Containership gest tug escort on the river

The containership MSC Damla was supposed to head to Portland on Monday, but she had to remain at sea after she developed temporary steering issues as she was about to enter the river.

Experts on board fixed her steering issues, and the bar pilot got her safely back out to sea. Even though her steering's fine now, she'll have a tug escort on the river today.

Look for her passing Astoria around 7:30am on Tuesday, in Portland about about 1:30pm. Track her progress at marinetraffic or vesselfinder.com.

Cruise ship season winds down in Astoria

The next-to-last blue water cruise ship for the 2024 season arrives in Astoria today. We'll talk a litlte about that and also an update about the future on container service on the Columbia.