"Vlad" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 1 Jun 2010 12:15:28 -0500, Pierre Lanuéjols wrote
(in article ):




I've never seen an arrangement like that. Very interesting!

-Vlad

--
Vlad & Genny Kedrovsky
Edina, MN, USA
vjkedrovsky at gmail dot com
Some of Vlad's train & car pix can be seen at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/vjkedrovsky


Such an arrangement is very common on the Hudson River for moving large
barges.

The Hudson River while it is in fact over a long distance a tidal estuary
does not have large waves, this must facilitate this arrangement and make
it quite safe.

I assume that pushing a large barge from the rear from the rear rather than
pulling it from the front is much more energy efficient.

Saving energy must be an important consideration for moving such large loads
as I have noted that the big barges are only on the move when the tides are
going with them.

Outside of New York Bay I have seen very few real tugs on the Hudson.

In fact I know of only one which is based significantly upstream of
New York Bay (which does not mean that there are not many more).

The pushing arrangement appears to be used elsewhere with a
somewhat different configuration.

http://tugster.wordpress.com/2008/05/

Also I am not a maritime specialist, just a landlubber who happens
to be interested in ships.

I assume that among the readers of this NG there must be people
infinitely more knowledgeable and qualified than I am and who
might be able to tell us more.