BARGES

A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed or pushed by towboats. The types of barges are as varied as their uses. Of the many, these include crane, dry bulk cargo, liquid cargo, power, and sand barges. Barges are used today for low-value bulk items, as the cost of hauling goods by barge is very… More

A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed or pushed by towboats. The types of barges are as varied as their uses. Of the many, these include crane, dry bulk cargo, liquid cargo, power, and sand barges. Barges are used today for low-value bulk items, as the cost of hauling goods by barge is very low. Barges are also used for very heavy or bulky items; a typical barge measures 195 by 35 feet (59.4 m × 10.6 m), and can carry up to about 1500 tons of cargo. A tugboat (tug) is a boat that manoeuvres vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbour or a narrow canal, or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for their size and strongly built, and some are ocean-going. Some tugboats serve as salvage boats. Today, most tugboats have diesel engines. Many tugboats have firefighting monitors, allowing them to assist in firefighting, especially in harbours. Less