BARGE
Today's modern tugboats and towboats are equipped with state-of-the-art communications technology, propulsion systems, and powerful engines. Together with comprehensive personnel training regulations for licensing, the industry is making great strides in achieving greater industry safety, security, and environmental protection.
Double hulls
By 2015, all tank barges operating in U.S. waters will be double-hulled vessels. This hull-within-a-hull configuration provides an extra measure of security: In the unlikely event of a collision or grounding, the outer hull will bear the brunt of the impact while the interior hull keeps the cargo secure and prevents oil from entering the aquatic environment. The switch to double hulls is already well underway: 80 percent of barges in service in 2005 were double-hulled; another 12 percent featured other forms of hull reinforcement.