Barges on the Ohio River carry a variety of goods, including coal, grain, sand, gravel, and other commodities. The Ohio River is a major commercial waterway providing access to many industrial and agricultural areas.
According to the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Ohio River is the most heavily utilized inland river in the United States, with shipments of over 431 million tons of cargo valued at more than $6.
8 billion annually. The Ohio River is also home to many barges and towboats.
Coal is the most common type of cargo carried on barges in the Ohio River. This includes coal for power plants, factories, and residences. These barges typically travel from coal-producing states, such as West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, to destinations in Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana.
The Ohio River also serves to transport grain products, such as corn, wheat, and soybeans, from states like Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois to other parts of the country.
Other types of cargo transported on the Ohio River include sand, gravel, asphalt, steel, petroleum, and salt. These are typically destined for factories, power plants, and construction projects in Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky.
Additionally, the river is used to ship manufactured goods, including appliances, office supplies, and food products.
Overall, the Ohio River provides a powerful and efficient means of transporting goods and commodities around the region and the country. With barges capable of carrying heavy loads, the Ohio River has become a vital part of America’s transportation infrastructure.
What gets transported by barges?
Barges are floating vessels that are used to transport cargo over water ways, such as rivers and canals. In the United States, barges are commonly used to carry large pieces of construction material, including dirt, steel, and stones.
They can also be used to transport grain, coal, fuel, and other industrial products. Additionally, barges are often used to transport larger pieces of equipment that do not fit on traditional shipping vessels.
Some examples of these pieces of equipment are cranes, bulldozers, and large industrial machines.
What do barges on the Mississippi carry?
Barges on the Mississippi River carry a variety of goods including grain, coal, oil, steel, chemicals, building materials, and timber. Barges typically transport items to or from ports located along the Mississippi River or its tributaries.
Bulk commodities such as grain, coal, and petroleum products account for the majority of cargo, as well as manufactured items such as steel and chemicals. Livestock and other perishables are shipped on barges as well.
In addition to transporting goods up and down stream, many barges also operate along the Mississippi River system for local delivery and short-haul transportation services for a variety of products. Over three million metric tons of material is moved by barge each year, equivalent to nearly eighteen million truck trips.
In addition to moving raw materials and commodities, the barges also help to support local tourism by carrying recreational vessels and other passenger activity.
What is the most common commodity transported on the Ohio River?
The most common commodity transported on the Ohio River is coal. The Ohio River is one of the busiest inland waterways in the country, connecting states and cities throughout the Midwest via transportation of coal, petroleum, and other commodities.
Coal has been a long-standing commodity of choice for river transportation, due to its importance and relative abundance in the region. Coal is the primary fuel for electricity production in the Midwest, and many of the largest power plants are located along the banks of the Ohio River.
As a result, such a large proportion of river transportation is for coal, making it the main commodity on the river. Other commodities transported include petroleum, agricultural products, limestone, and chemicals.
How much can a river barge carry?
The amount of cargo a river barge can carry depends on several factors, such as its size, type, and the water levels in the area. Generally, most common river barges are designed to carry up to 1,500 to 15,000 tons of cargo, although some can hold even more.
Factors that influence how much these barges can carry include their size, design, and the water levels in the area. Smaller barges typically carry less, while larger models are able to transport more.
In addition to size and type, water levels are also a factor in how much a river barge can carry. Low water levels can significantly limit tonnage, while higher water levels provide more load capacity.
There are also restrictions in some waterways that limit the amount of cargo a barge can transport.
How many crew are on an Ohio River barge?
The exact number of crew on an Ohio River barge can depend on a variety of factors, including the size and type of barge, the cargo it is carrying, and any special requirements for the voyage. Generally, a towboat will be accompanied by a crew of six to ten people, including the captain, deckhand, engineer, two to four deckhands, a cook, and a pilot.
A typical towboat can push a fleet of up to 15 barges, so the exact number of crew needed for an Ohio River barge fleet will vary depending on the number of barges and the amount of cargo being transported.
All crew typically work in two 8-hour shifts each day, and are responsible for safely navigating the barge from one point to another, making sure that all necessary cargo is loaded and unloaded, and conducting any required maintenance.
How deep is the deepest part of the Ohio River?
The deepest part of the Ohio River has a maximum depth of 76 feet. This measurement was taken near Cairo, Illinois, which is the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. The Ohio River is a natural waterway, with a total length of 981 miles that runs along the border of six states: Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and Pennsylvania.
The river has many deep parts and shallow parts, and varies in width from the shallow areas to about 1,000 feet wide near Evansville, Indiana. The Ohio River has an average depth of about 17 feet, but some of the deeper spots can reach depths of over 100 feet.
The maximum depth of 76 feet makes the Ohio River one of the deepest rivers in the United States and it serves as an important commercial waterway.
How deep in the water does a loaded barge sit?
The exact depth that a loaded barge will sit in the water will depend on a number of factors, such as the size and design of the barge, its loading condition, and the environment it is situated in. Generally, a loaded barge can be expected to sit between 6 and 10 feet deep in the water, depending on the aforementioned factors.
Some barges, however, are designed for deeper waters and can sit up to 25 feet deep. Additionally, the density and weight of the cargo and any other materials on the barge can significantly affect the depth at which it sits.
All in all, there is no one-size-fits-all answer for how deep in the water a loaded barge sits as it is dependent on several various factors.
How many miles can a barge travel in a day?
The exact number of miles a barge can travel in a day depends upon several factors, including the size of the barge, the conditions of the waterway it is travelling through, and the weather. However, generally speaking, a barge can travel anywhere between 10 to 30 miles per day.
The larger the barge and its cargo, the lower the average speed and the fewer miles it can travel in a day. On a good day, with ideal weather, a barge may be able to exceed speeds near 15 mph, but that speed is not common or sustainable over long distances.
Additionally, if a barge is travelling through a narrow canal it is likely to travel much slower than on a river or lake. Barge speed can also be greatly reduced if they’re travelling in bad weather or navigating shallow waters or heavy currents.
For this reason, it is important to factor the environment into the equation when estimating the number of miles a barge can travel in a day.
What is the average speed of a barge?
The average speed of a barge depends on a few factors, such as the type of barge (transport, tank, or other) as well as the type of waterway it is traveling on. Generally, a barge can travel between 5 and 15 miles per hour (mph) when on an inland river, canal or lake.
However, if the barge is being pulled or pushed by a tugboat, the tugboat’s speed can greatly increase the barge’s average speed. For example, on a calm day, a tug pushing a full barge through the water on a river can travel at 10 mph, while in shallow waterways, with the help of a tug, a barge can average as high as 18 mph.
On the open ocean, a barge can average as little as 3 mph, but can reach much higher speeds (10 to 15 mph) with the help of a tugboat. Additionally, ocean-going barges tend to be larger than those traveling on inland waterways and can therefore carry more cargo, which in turn may create greater drag and reduce the barge’s speed.
How fast do cargo barges travel?
The speed of a cargo barge depends on many different factors, such as the size and weight of the cargo, the size and power of the tugboat pulling the barge, the size and power of the barge’s engine, the type of cargo, and the weather and sea conditions.
Generally speaking, cargo barges travel at an average speed of approximately 5-8 mph. A barge that’s carrying a light and low-density cargo might travel faster than a barge carrying a heavy and dense cargo.
At times, cargo barges can travel at a speed of up to 10 mph, but due to the nature of their cargo, barge speeds are typically lower than ocean-going vessels. Additionally, since cargo barges rely on tugboats for propulsion, they can’t travel too far from shore and tow sizes are limited, so speeds aren’t typically recorded as they would be on a direct route.
Overall, it’s impossible to give a definitive answer regarding how fast cargo barges travel, since the speed varies so much based on the type and size of cargo, weather and sea conditions, and power of the tugboat and engine.