Combo deck / tank barges may ease the burden on inland waterways

The order for five shallow-draft combination bulk oil and deck cargo barges has been placed at a Russian shipyard, with three of them having been laid down, the Marine Engineering Bureau General Director Gennady Yegorov said.

Speaking at Russian conference "Ten Years of Forward Movement" Yegorov noted the combo deck / tank barge design enable them to transport oil products to its destination, and in the opposite direction any bulk cargo (crushed stone) or rolling cargo on deck. The barge concept envisages removable decks.

Yegorov believes this type of vessels could be in demand primarily in the North-West direction.