IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO A VESSEL WITH FLOODED HOLD FOR TRANSPORT OR BARGES

摘要

A vessel for transport of floating buoyant barges and other containers wherein said barges or containers are partially supported in the vessel by their own buoyancy. The vessel's hull has a bottom shell with rigid submarine barge-supporting and hull-reinforcing structure, a bow, a stern, side walls providing a series of buoyancy compartments, and a hollow enclosed interior including a cargo hold. The hull has conduit means communicating with the ocean for free passage of water into and out from the hold at all times, so that the hold is always flooded to the same level as the vessel's draft during the voyage. A series of locking spuds releasably locks the barges in place in the flooded hold against movement relative to the hull, with the bottom of the barge engaging a substantial area of the submarine cargo-supporting structure. Each said spud has barge-engaging means, including an L-sectioned beam of substantial length for engaging an upper side edge of the barge over a substantial length. There may also be similar spuds for holding other types of containers in place, in cooperation with suitable support structures. The vessel may have a bulkhead along its longitudinal centerline and stow barges and containers on both sides of the bulkhead in two longitudinal holds. The holds may be covered by a continuous deck to protect barges and cargo loaded on the decks of the barges.