The Ship Report

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

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 places where environmentally responsible shpibreaking is happening.