The Ship Report, Monday, May 18, 2026

A deeper look at a familiar subject: maritime pilotsI talk a lot in general about maritime pilots on the show: they are so central to everything that happens with ships in the river.But what we see off Astoria is just a snapshot of a much larger picture.Today we’ll talk about pilots on ships, from outside the river in the ocean, passing Astoria where we often see them, to upriver in port. It’s a complex process involving multiple pilots, each one an expert at the top of their profession.