Cargo Ships. Part-One.

General.

This is the official term used for most shipping under that of the Bulk carrier, Chemical and Oil tankers. The general cargo ship comes in various sizes and they are used for a mixture of cargo's, basically what ever order or contract they can get.

Timber, fertiliser, gravel, grains scrap, rubbish are some of the general cargo's, they operate into and out of all sizes of ports and facilities. Some of this ships are in fact glorified river barges, while others at one time were known as Coasters because they kept close to the coasts in their travels.

Most of these ships today carry their own excavators or small cranes, if the quay has no facility.

Today there are so many specialised ships that are dedicated to various roles, but the cargo ship will live on because of the demand to move all sorts of small amounts of goods and 'that is a great thing in its self.'

Floating Cities.

This would appear to be a new concept?

 Currently this is being developed in the Netherlands to relieve the use and price of land. But there are already many waterborne city dwellings found in China and Hong Kong and many other places around the globe.

Many people have chosen to live on boats in Marinas, harbours and on canals, but this new idea plans to commit to floating houses and apartments. With land running out for some countries around the world, this might be a good idea.

Would you want to live on a barge?

Canal Barges. Part-Two.

Shipping and Networks.

Canals came before the railways and remain one of the most effective ways to move goods across land locked countries as in Russia, China, central Europe and the U.S. Deep rivers can be connected on the network of ship canals. 

In Europe you can get from the Netherlands to the German Rhine river and then by Canal to the Danube, eventually arriving in the Black sea. Both in Russia and China vast distances can be traversed. The ships that ply these routes fifty years ago would have been called 'Coasters or 'Puffers.'

The future for these networks are very much in demand and as long as they are maintained they will remain viable for developing economies.

Canal Barges. Part-One.

Britain and the rest of the world.

The canal barge and coaster remain a very viable form of transport across the world today, from the River Rhine in Germany to the many rivers of China. 

These flat bottomed vessels can move from rivers to man made canals to the sea with ease. Today's shipping is far flung from the early days of invention and development in England, UK. 

The UK retains the long barge now almost soley for pleasure and living use. But some river barge industries remain in the river Thames.