What do barges transport

Thanks for sharing your comment with us today, Ava! We are happy you're here! You're right, Dameko! Sometimes tug boats are used to move barges from place to place!

What a great Wonder, Marcus! Barges date back to ancient Egypt- they used to float barges down the Nile River! If you're near a river, we bet you can spot one, Alex! If not, check out today's Wonder video to see one! Thanks so much for sharing all your great ideas! You all have so many questions— how great! Some barges can travel up to miles per hour, and the larges barge created is more than feet long!

We learned that barges carry lots of different materials, which usually weigh a lot since barges can carry tons and tons of goods. We think it would be cool to see ALL those different things train, motorcycle, house floating down the river on a barge! We Wonder how long it would take Hello to our Wonder Friends on Team Wilch! Vincent, Stephanie, Ben and Kayla have been doing a great job using today's Wonder as a starting point Barges are great at moving a lot of things, including solid waste, coal, fuel and many other goods.

These goods can be heavy in large amounts, and since it isn't very easy to transport heavy things by plane, a barge is a great mode of transportation. Also, if there are multiple stops needed for the barge, a route can be developed on the rivers and waterways. We hope you'll continue to research your very own barge questions-- please let us know what you find! Great work, Wonder Friends! Hi Wonder Friend! Thanks for sharing your comment with us- we are glad to hear you are floating down the river with Wonderopolis today!

We like your new word, JC! Thanks for joining the fun today, Mrs. Ski's PM Class-- we always love it when you stop by Wonderopolis! We think that barges are on a very specific route-- they probably are meant to travel through as few canals as possible!

We are so excited for your guesses tomorrow Hi there, Wonder Boy! Wonderopolis is a cool place filled with lots of Wonder Friends, just like you! We are everywhere, and you can get to Wonderopolis by using your imagination to Wonder! That's an excellent question, Wonder Friend Ariel! We Wonder if you can do some research of your own and find out?! WOW, we are glad you shared the conversion from pounds to tons, Tigers 4th grade!

We think it's cool to Wonder about all the different goods that are transported from place to place by barge. Great question, Wonder Friend Aniyah! Some boats need a tugboat to move them around, while others have motors and can move on their own with the help of gasoline!

We're sorry to hear that today's Wonder wasn't one of your favorites, Terry! We appreciate your comment and we hope you'll come back to Wonder with us soon! Great question, Jerry! It doesn't mean that one trip costs that much, but it includes every trip made during the year. It's a way to figure out how much money is spent on this type of transportation! We're so happy that today's Wonder connected to your stem study!

Ski's AM Class! We appreciate your comment for today's and yesterday's Wonder-- we look forward to seeing the results from your poll, too! We think you're in for a treat tomorrow Have a "way to go" Wednesday! That's a great question, Terry! It depends on what they are meant to carry-- there are barges of all shapes and sizes! There is a barge, meant for the ocean, that is more than feet long! We're so glad you learned something new today, Adam!

Great Wonders from our 5th grade Friends in Ms. H's class! We are so excited that you're traveling down the river as we Wonder today! Transporting people and goods by barge started in ancient Egypt down the Nile river.

These barges were often decorated when they carried Egyptian royalty. We Wonder if you can do some research about the length of time it takes to travel by barge. We bet it depends on what is being transported Not to worry, Wonder Friends in Mrs. D's class! It's okay if you didn't guess today's Wonder-- but we sure are happy that you're here today! Hey there, Laserdudle! We Wonder if you can think of anything!? We are undergoing some spring clearing site maintenance and need to temporarily disable the commenting feature.

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Follow Twitter Instagram Facebook. What do barges carry? What is a tugboat? How much cargo can a barge carry? Tags: See All Tags barge , cargo , economy , freight , highway , tow , transportation , tugboat , vessel , water , waterway.

Wonder What's Next? Try It Out How do the vehicles of commerce travel in the area where you live? Did you get it? Test your knowledge. What are you wondering? Wonder Words barge tugboat canoe kayak paddleboat reliable freight cargo transportation waterway Take the Wonder Word Challenge.

Join the Discussion. Freya Jan 13, Jan 16, I jay Jan 31, Feb 1, Jayden Jan 31, Chris Feb 5, Al Jan 27, Jan 28, Feb 18, Oct 28, Just Curious Jul 23, I think a few zeroes are missing.

Wonderopolis Jul 24, Team Wilch Dec 14, Wonderopolis Dec 14, Team Wilch Dec 13, Dear Wonderopolis crew, I was fascinated by your video and I never knew what a barge looked like until now! I think barges are convenient because of the traffic on the road and the safety hazards for people on the highway. Sincerely, Michael Ching. Hi wonderopolis, I really enjoyed the wonder! How long do you think it would take to build a waterway for a barge?

It must be a conundrum to get heavy things on a barge. I thought it was cool that barges carry minerals. Also it was cool that most boats are mainly used for work.

I really look forward to looking at other wonders. Wonderopolis Dec 13, Dear wonderopolis Wow barges are a lot cooler than I thought they were, I did not know that those boats are lot easier to travel than other things. I have been in a canoe before and it was so fun.

What I have been asking my mom for is going on a kayak this summer. How much weight could a kayak hold without sinking? I am glad that I read that and I learned a lot! Your reader Katherine Kinzeler.

Team Clark Dec 13, Hi wonderopolis It's amazing that a barge can carry a fright train 3 miles long. I know that they carry 1 billion dollars of goods. But didn't know what they carried. Barges are colossal. Team Wilch Dec 12, Have barges ever sank when they are carrying all these heavy loads? Are tugboats used more often than engines or engines more than tugboats? I like the video of the barge. Barges are not something like independent vessels or boats but are floating vessels generally towed or tugged along with other vessels.

A barge is flat-shaped on its bottom, just like a raft. The main reason for this particular shape is to ensure that the cargo-carrying capacity is enhanced and more bulk can be hauled and transferred. As mentioned earlier, a barge is a type of vessel which is mainly used for the purpose of carrying cargo. However, the most important part about barges is the fact that they are not independent boats or vessels.

They have to be tugged or towed along with other naval vessels in the water. Barges are mostly used in smaller water parts like rivers, lakes or canals; however, they are now used extensively at seaports. Barges are not new in their use, but the modern world had witnessed marine barges even before the Industrial revolution.

Barges have been a presence in the modern world right before the time of the industrial revolution. Prior to the Industrial Revolution in Europe, marine barges were used as the main method of transportation to ferry cargo across places connected by small water bodies. But post the Industrial Revolution and the invention of the steam engine and consequently trains, the demand for barges as cargo-transporters started to reduce because of speed constraints.

Europe used the first barge to transport ferry cargo across the places which were connected by small water bodies. But with the Industrial Revolution, there came the evolution of the steam engine and trains which resulted in a steep decline in the demand for barges to serve as cargo-transporters.

In contemporary times, however, marine barges can still be found because of the way they have evolved as an important tool of utility.

Flat bottomed vessels or barges are typically available in different sizes and can be used as per the transportation requirements.

These barges are designated as per their overall lengths in feet, for e. Different barges have different load carrying capacity which varies as per their overall length and with the type of goods to be transported. This barge is least preferred as it can transport approximately up to Metric Tons of cargo. It has size specifications as follows: Overall length of the sideboard is ft These are generally called small-medium size barges and can carry up to Metric tons of cargo.

It has size specifications as follows: Overall length of the sideboard is ft 70m , Deck Load of 8. According to their size, the ft barges are generally referred to as medium barges.

These can transport MT of the cargos in a single run. These barges have an overall length of The feet barge has gross tonnage value in Smitt Brackets of about It is the most extensively used barge. Other barges include power barges which are like mobile power plants , royal barges for countries that still hold celebrations for monarchs and other royalty, and even barracks barges that are used for residential purposes.

Barges are classified by their use and their cargo capacity. In the US, a typical barge size is feet by 35 feet and can hold up to tons of cargo. Newer barges can be up to feet by 50 feet and can hold twice as much cargo tonnage as traditional barges. With all of the innovation recently to the logistics industry, why would you choose barge transportation over rail, trucks or even air cargo transport?

Here are the most important differences between the two:. However, to select the best situation between the two-sensitivity analysis, the difference in time reduction and the rate of reduction of the barges must be discussed.

This further investment cannot, therefore, be justified for by the terminal operators in the model as it would be a waste of resources, hence, it can be said that sensitivity analysis 3 is the best situation to reach a consensus for both the terminal operators in investing on the appropriate cranes, and the barge operators in reducing time and congestion level significantly. The cases and sensitivity analysis in this model are focused on one terminal.

This implies that the best case which is the dedicated barge space can be implemented at each terminal. Hence, it is suggested that for each terminal, there should be a dedicated barge space and an appropriate number of smaller cranes that should be dedicated for barge handling and operations.

A general phenomenon that can be deduced from this analysis is that the combination of the presence of vessels and the number of cranes allocated to the barges determine how long the barges would spend at each terminal. This implies that not only do the barges need dedicated spaces within each terminal, they also need the appropriate number of smaller cranes that is able to efficiently handle them at each terminal, otherwise the problem of congestion and handling would persist.

This paper examines the congestion of barges at deep-sea terminals in large seaports with hinterland connection. It examined a base case and two alternative scenarios to tackle the barge congestion in large seaports.

The study identified several objectives which include: reduction of waiting time, enhancing barge handling, and improving barge reliability. With these objectives, the study provided answers to the research questions earlier identified. The first research question which seeks to examine why there is barge congestion in large seaports with strong IWT hinterland connection was answered by reviewing works of literature and discussing with researchers and industry practitioners involved in terminal and barge operation.

The main identified reason for congestion from the different discussions revealed is the contractual agreement which sea vessels have with the deep-sea terminals which makes the terminals give them more priority over barges. In this sense, the major contributor to barge congestion and poor handling at the port and deep-sea terminals are the behaviour of terminal operators towards focusing more on sea vessels due to the contractual relationship and influence that they have on them while neglecting the investments in barge infrastructures.

Some carriers even acquire some terminals to have more control over how their vessels are handled and which gives the vessels even higher priority. Barges, however, are less expensive and are operated as a family business in most cases, hence most barge owners do not have the power to influence the terminals in giving them more priority.

In this case, what the barge owners can only do is to wait till they are attended to which invariably leads to longer waiting time and a huge queue of barges. The second research question which examines how congestion and waiting time of barges can be reduced in large seaports was answered by developing three scenarios.

A system dynamic agent-based modelling was developed to examine the three scenarios and determine the optimum scenario to reduce congestion. It was revealed by performed analysis that the case with dedicated barge space offers the best solution to the congestion issues. In this sense, if the terminals can create a dedicated handling space and invest in the right infrastructures for the barges, it could significantly reduce the waiting time of the barges and ensure that they do not spend a long period of time at the terminals.

With this, there could be a shorter lead time leading to more reliability and the optimization of the supply chain flows. From the analyses can also be concluded that if barges get more attention, as they are given higher priority, the more barges will be attracted to the terminal. This will lead to an influx of barges at the terminal resulting in even more congestion.

Investing in dedicated barge handling infrastructure has been found as the most promising option to reduce barge congestion. There is however concern about who would bear the responsibility of these investments and what the cost-benefit analysis of these investments would be. Therefore, more research is needed for this aspect.

This further research should include:. What will be the cost for the terminal operators to invest in these additional crane capacities for barges, and what would be the benefits for terminal operators?

Why should the deep-sea terminals invest in it if they see the barges as being less contributing to their productivity and throughput while the barge operators are the ones who benefit more?

What role can the barge operators play to improve the situation, can they be more flexible by bundling and consolidating towards increasing the call size so there would be a reduced number of barges calling at different terminals? What is the implication of these moves? Further questions to be addressed include: what are the overall benefits for the general stakeholders which include the society? Is the overall cost-benefit analysis of the investment positive for the stakeholders, and if so, how do we compensate the stakeholders that incur the cost?

What is the overall impact of the investments on freight modal shift, logistical flow and overall supply chain process? More so, there have been discussions between terminal operators and barge operators on the minimum call size to be loaded on the barge before they can be handled at the terminals. It has been claimed by barge operators that smaller barges tend to have shorter waiting time than the bigger barges because the terminal operators can handle these barges between the vessels as soon as possible, hence the bigger barges must wait until the vessels take care of.

This has led to issues related to economies of scale as smaller barges can only transport a limited number of containers making it impossible to maximize the potential of inland water transportation in transporting larger quantities.

Terminal operators, on the other hand, insist on the minimum call size of 30 containers for barges before they can be handled, and the minimum size does not even guarantee that they would be handled as soon as they call at the terminals.

Thus, it would be interesting to examine how the different sizes of barge affect the congestion level at the terminals and the implication of the different size on economies of scale and transportation cost. Finally, from the modelling point of view, it might be interesting to add more dynamics to the model in terms of the different vessel and barge size, peak and off-peak period and economic situation.

It should also be noted that the call size of the barges is assumed to be the same and an average number of 30 TEUs were considered for all the barges. It would be interesting for future research to consider the different call sizes of barges, different TEUs for the barges and vessels and the different handing time in respect to the sizes and TEUs. It might also be interesting to examine the congestion pattern to identify the specific period and days that have high congestion level as compared to days with a low level of congestion.

Conclusively, it might be interesting to examine the overall cost implication of the different elements in relation to congestion level smaller vs bigger vessels, congestion days, terminal call sizes, bundling and consolidation. All these concerns need to be addressed to improve the situation of barges in large seaports.

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You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar. PS performed the literature review, did the interviews and built the model and performed the analysis. EvH has supervised the work PS and contributed by adding literature, provided input for the development of the model and suggested the sensitivity analysis in the paper. He also supported PS with the interpretation of the results and he helped in structuring the paper. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Shobayo, P. Container barge congestion and handling in large seaports: a theoretical agent-based modeling approach. Download citation. Received : 19 December Accepted : 08 May Published : 26 June Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:. Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative. Skip to main content.