Empty Barge from Above

When I analyzed a tow through the Newburgh Locks, I concluded that the barges were dual hulled and that the superstructure wall one sees from the side is a cargo wall that goes down inside the barge. It turns out that I'm not the only one who takes pictures of barges. Someone driving over the I-355 Des Plaines River Valley Bridge has already taken a picture of an empty barge from above. This confirms that their is a double hull with an air pocket between the hulls for flotation.

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Note that this photo is also another example of unloading barges. In particular, they put a skid steer loader in the barge to create bigger piles so that the hydraulic excavator can efficiently fill its bucket for each cycle it makes. Also note that the covers have been temporarily stacked near the top of the photo. And note that this barge is just a few inches lower than the empty barge on this side because it has just a little more material left to be removed.

The yellow line along the edge of the barge is a rather silly regulation. It is not as though the deck hands don't know there is a danger of stepping over the side of the barge. And the yellow line certainly is not going to prevent stepping over the edge like a decent handrail would. But the line does illustrate some rather significant bends in the outer hull. This barge has had more contacts than simply scraping against something else.