Friday, April 8, 2011

Crane Barges


A crane barge, or floating crane, is exactly what it sounds like, a barge with a crane capability. Crane barges allow for heavy equipment to be handled more easily in offshore and other marine construction applications, and can provide much needed support for construction operations like plugging and abandonment, pipeline removal, decommissioning, etc.

A crane barge can range in capacity from 5 tons, to well over 1000 tons. Depending on the capacity, a crane barge may only be able to access certain areas due to size limitations, however some larger, custom built crane barges are capable of performing very heavy crane work in very shallow waters in coastal and inland areas.

Quarters Barges


Quarters barges, or accommodations barges, are primarily used in the oil and gas and marine construction industries as a means of providing housing for workers while offshore.

A typical quarters barge can range in length from 50 to 100 feet, and can accommodate up to 50 people. These barges often contain various amenities depending on the need, which can include full kitchens, recreation rooms, sleeping quarters, restrooms, clothes washing rooms, and others.

A typical quarters barge will also have storage capacity for a large amount of fresh water, which is used for cooking, cleaning, etc.

Spud Barges


A spud barge is a type of barge which can be deployed for a variety of tasks in typically shallower waters, up to around 50 feet deep. A spud barge is a form of barge which can be positioned through the use of through-deck pilings, known as spuds. Spuds may be fabricated, or made of commercially available pipe sections or logs. Spud barges are commonly used as work platforms, i.e., for crane or demolitions work, in littoral waters (such as rivers or for canal maintenance/expansion).Spud barges derive their name from the poles, or spuds used to jack up the barge, allowing for consistent stability in marine construction applications.

Spud barges are often used as a platform for operations like pipeline laying, dredging, plugging and abandonment, and oil rig construction. Spud barges come in a variety of sizes, and are capable of handling extremely large loads, whether it be large quantities of pipe, or other heavy tools/equipment.

Barges For Marine Construction

In the marine construction industry a variety of barges are used for different tasks like pipeline laying, plugging and abandonment, dredging, accommodating workers, heavy lifting, and other various oil and gas jobs.

Each barge type offers different functionality, and can be outfitted for custom needs. Whether performing work on an oil rig in the middle of the ocean, or assisting with heavy lifting in inland waters, there's a barge that can handle the task.