Stranded barge story, + question

TyBoo

TyBoo

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Here's the latest on some big old barge with 6.3 million gallons (holy smokes!) of WA's junk oil waiting to seek safe harbor in Astoria.

Oregonian article

The problem they are having is "...overheating attachment pins between the barge and tug." What makes the heat? Friction?
 
Here is a copy of an image from a patent for attaching a tug into a recess in the stern of a barge. Large 'pins' are extended into tubes in the wings of the barge. Number 10 is the tug. Number 11 is the barge.

My guess is the heat is generated by the relative motion of the tug and barge in heavy seas.

US3799101.jpg
 
Here is a website reference to the vessel, and a second website with a drawing of the design. I assume that the actual connection of the two parts is a hydraulic system of rams used to "steer" the two parts of the ATB. The hydraulic system must be overheating during operation. It appears to be a new vessel.

http://www.usslp.com/index.php?option=c ... on=company

"U.S. Shipping Partners L.P. is an active participant in the U.S. Flag Jones Act coastwise tanker trades for refined petroleum products and chemical parcels. We operate four Integrated Tug Barges (ITB) which carry petroleum products, and three parcel tankers which haul mainly chemicals, one product tanker, and four Articulted Tug Barges (ATB). We recently added a Fourth ATB, the Corpus Christi/Petrochem Trader to our ever growing fleet. Our company employs approximately 40 shore staff and approximately 400 fleet personnel."

http://www.usslp.com/fleet.php?option=c ... &Itemid=20
 
For an ATB or "articulated tug barge" to work, there is a set of hydraulically driven pins (a term that belies the heft of them at 28,000 lbs each) that serve to couple the tug and barge. They have to be adjustable vertically to allow for the loaded and unloaded drafts of the barge and they also have to allow for the tug and barge to bend around the coupler as they both pitch. Vertical adjustment is achieved by moving the pins in a track in the barge. The following link has some photos and description of the pins that might be useful.

http://captbbrucato.wordpress.com/2009/ ... rd-uh-boy/

The ATBs, while impressive tug barge combinations, are also something of a rule beater. They are as large as ships but have to meet the lower manning requirements of tugs. The US shipping market is the only area where the ATB concept has really taken off.

I was northbound in the East River in NY Harbor a couple of years ago when the Nicole Leigh Reinhauer came southbound light ship with the current. It is HUGE! The Nicole Leigh is 119ft long and 7,200HP. Its barge, RT135 is 459 ft long and 135,000 bbl. All in all, the combination is around 500 feet.
 
Thank you all. That is interesting stuff. I just figured there should be plenty of cold water available to cool things off, but this is a little more.
 
Oh oh oh. You guys up in WA can just take your busted barge full of oil right back up north. I guess 25 foot seas on the CR bar are too much for the hot hitch and the rig is going to Port Angeles for repair.

Thanks for the answers to my question.
 
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