Port of Astoria approves log handling lease

News flash: At the port commission’s Tuesday night meeting, the Port of Astoria unanimously approved the Westerlund Log Handlers lease. The vote means the port will begin exporting logs to China and Korea from Pier 1. The operation will start off at Pier 1, and not involve Pier 3 initially, after conflicts with the State of Oregon over permitted uses for Pier 3. The port used Pier 3 as collateral for a loan from the state to port tenant Bornstein Seafoods. The state said this week that the port did not have cargo uses in its strategic plan for Pier 3, and could not handle logs there. The port’s current strategic plan focuses on a maritime business cluster. The commission is in the process of approving a new strategic plan that includes cargo exports. When that plan is finished and sent to the state, Oregon will likely withdraw its objections and allow logs to be handled at Pier 3. Port Exec Director Jack Crider said that while the port would not see significant financial gains from the project in this fiscal year, the port would gain revenue the following year.

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Listener questions and comments

are things I love about the Ship Report. The Ship Report community is a diverse and intelligent crowd, and people ask interesting questions and offer valuable insights. Friday’s report features topics ranging from the mineral cargo soda ash, to research ships, and nuclear waste that’s routinely shipped on the river. Podcast at http://www.shipreport.net

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Tides, Current and Wind

are potent forces on the Columbia River. Boaters of all types would do well to pay attention to tide tables and weather conditions before venturing out. This week on the Ship Report, I’ve been airing excerpts from an interview I did in 2005 with expert kayaker Ginni Callahan, owner of Columbia River Kayaking. She reminded us yesterday about the astonishing phenomenon that happens with every high tide, where the lower Columbia flows backwards as far upriver as Skamokawa. Today (Thursday) we’ll talk about wind patterns on the river, and how they can affect conditions on the water. Podcast at http://www.shipreport.net

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Barges are the best

and most efficient means of transporting cargo. Find out why on the Ship Report. Podcast at http://www.shipreport.net

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Rules about marine pilots on the river

On Monday’s Ship Report, I talk about a military ship that was towed upriver by tugs on Saturday to the ship yard at Swan Island. Was there a pilot on board? It may not have been required. Find out why on the Ship Report. http://www.shipreport.net for podcast, ship’s schedule, ship’s store and more!
Hint: Some U.S flag commercial vessels do not require a pilot.

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Tax time for mariners

It’s April 15th for U.S. mariners too. Hear about some of the deductions mariners can take because of their unusual, mobile work. podcast at http://www.shipreport.net

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Tug and Barge in trouble in the ocean off Astoria

Tuesday morning’s news had a story about a tug and barge heading for the Columbia River from Canada. About 15 miles off the mouth of the river, the barge capsized. The tug General Jackson makes a regular run from the Puget Sound area to Portland hauling a barge stacked with crushed cars for scrap metal. Tug and crew were safe throughout this incident, but the barge was floating upside down and leaking a small amount of fuel oil. The decision was eventually made to tow the barge, as is, back to Canada. The cause of the capsize: the cars could have been stacked too high, making the barge top heavy. The cars, likely not lashed down, are probably on the bottom of the ocean. The tug’s towline is attached to a winch on the tug, and the crew could have released the barge if it started to sink, to prevent the tug from going under too. Luckily that wasn’t necessary. Thanks to the Columbia River Pilots for their help with info for this Ship Report!

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High and Low Tides – what’s really happening

Tuesday’s Ship Report features an archive interview from 2005, with expert kayak instructor Ginni Calahan. Ginni gives the clearest explanation I have ever heard about what is really happening to the Earth when we are experiencing high and low tides. Hint: it’s the Earth rotating through the bulge in the earth’s water that is literally being pulled skyward by the gravitational force of the Moon and the Sun. Podcast at http://www.shipreport.net

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Does public access to AIS data pose a security risk for mariners?

Usually on the Ship Report I provide answers to listener questions people have sent me – but now I have one of my own for you.

I read an interesting editorial in a maritime magazine recently about the topic of publicly available AIS data for merchant marine and other vessels worldwide. The author said that because anyone can go online and essentially see where any ship is on the planet at any time, this makes it easier for pirates and other terrorists to target ships. So he sees it as a safety issue and says that access should be denied to the public.

I’d like to hear from Ship Report listeners on this one. Is ship location info dangerous and/or should the public have access to it? I feel like I’m a bit biased, since part of the Ship Report’s daily content depends on my ability to access ship info. While I don’t use those online websites daily, I use other publicly available info to find out who’s on the river. In my experience of doing the show for the past six years, it seems locally to have raised public awareness and appreciation for mariners in a very positive way. People are watching the river more in a good way, and are actually more likely to spot problems and report them. Of course, the same website that allows me to see who’s off the mouth of the Columbia River also could show pirates who’s off the coast of Somalia.

So it kind of pulled me up short to read that editorial – am I making it more risky for mariners to do their work? Would bad guys find a way to get this info anyway? And is the technology cat already out of the bag? Should AIS sites (which I have told listeners about so they could track ships in our area for fun) be shut down, and access restricted to maritime professionals?

I’d like to hear people’s views on this – so if you’re inclined to comment, please respond via email, facebook or twitter. http://www.shipreport.net

Many Thanks,
Joanne

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Where our weather comes from, and why ships use gyrocompasses

Apologies for my absence from this blog lately. Been down temporarily with a bad cold that has been lingering a bit. At any rate – today’s ship report is about the origins of global weather, since we have been having an overabundance of weather lately I thought it might be interesting to explain it. So (and this is greatly oversimplifying): the sun warms air in some parts of the earth, like the equator, and it rises. Cold air in other parts like the poles, sinks. the warm air aloft rushes to the poles to take the place of the sinking cool air, which rushes toward the equator to take the place of the rising warm air. Voila! Global wind patterns. Add in the Coriolis effect, which is essentially the earth spinning beneath its own atmosphere and you have some of the basic causes of weather. Gyrocompasses: they are modern compasses used on ships that use a gyroscope (like a spinning top) to find true north. Not only do they actually point to true north instead of magnetic north, but they also are not affected by the enormous amount of metal on most modern ships, which would throw a magnetic compass way off. Podcast at http://www.shipreport.net Have a great day!

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