The Ship Report

Cold weather on the wayWe have an unusual spring snow storm on the way in the Cascades starting today, and colder than usual weather for the coast too. We'll talk about how conditions up north allowed...

14 Apr 9min

The shipyard at Swan IslandSo many times over the years I have said on this show that a ship is headed for "the shipyard at Swan Island."Today we'll take a closer look at that facility, who owns it, a...

13 Apr 9min

First cruise ship for the Astoria seasonToday the Nieuw Amsterdam, a 1000-foot long cruise ship arriving from San Diego, is the first blue water cruise ship to call on Astoria in 2026. She'll head for...

9 Apr 9min

Of ebb tides and west windsToday we'll talk about a common occurrence on the river that can affect sea state and make it more turbulent to be out there in a smaller vessel:  a west wind and an ebb tid...

8 Apr 8min

What does it mean to decommission a ship?Today we'll talk about the fate of decommissioned ships. We have one on the river now, the USNS Watkins, which arrived yesterday headed to Vancouver. She'll be...

7 Apr 9min

USNS Watkins, a Military Sealift Command ship, enters the river MondayNote: I'm publishing this podcast a day early because this ship will be arriving in the river around 8:30am Monday, and that's bef...

6 Apr 8min

Mariners keep working even in bad weatherYesterday we had some squalls blow through our area, bringing with them heavy rain, wind and fog. While we on land were turning our wipers on high or clutching...

2 Apr 9min

Who's on the river today, a bit about arriving weather, and scrap metal on the Columbia and where it goesToday we'll look at a variety of things: weather, ship traffic and cargo - specifically scrap m...

1 Apr 8min