The Ship Report

We’ll see what transpires… the forecast calls for snow above 500 feet. For coastal snow lovers, maybe some pretty flurries. Inland, expect some driving challenges in the morning.

The post Snow in the forecast again through Thursday morning appeared first on The Ship Report.

Well, we had a tiny “snowpocalyps” 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 post A look at the forecast: more snow? appeared first on The Ship Report.

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.

The post A bit of snow is possible… appeared first on The Ship Report.

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 round or cylindrical protuberance sticking out in front of the ship at the front, below the waterline. Strange looking, yes, but it actually reduces drag, and improves ship efficiency and speed.

The post The bulbous bow: an odd-looking, but very efficient, ship design feature appeared first on The Ship Report.

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.”

The post Gulls and updrafts: why these birds seem to love the Megler Bridge appeared first on The Ship Report.

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 post Sneaker wave risk this week reminds us of cold water hazards at the beach appeared first on The Ship Report.

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 post The plumb bow: an interesting design feature on newer ships appeared first on The Ship Report.

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 other vessels with things they can’t do alone.

This compact ship has all the high tech bells and whistles, and a crew of experts on board.

The post The HOS Black Watch: high tech offshore supply vessel on the river today appeared first on The Ship Report.

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 including the US. 

The post Seafarer survey shows many sailors find life at sea stressful appeared first on The Ship Report.

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 River 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.

The post A long workday on the river heading to Portland appeared first on The Ship Report.