Barge Carrier Partner 2.0.13 Tool: 

Data Collection Overview & Workbook

2013 Data Year - United States Version
Transportation and Climate Division

Office of Transportation and Air Quality

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Office of Transportation and Air Quality

EPA-420-B-14-010

March 2014

Barge Carrier Partner 2.0.13 Tool: 

Data Collection Overview & Workbook

2013 Data Year - United States Version
3 

Introduction to Part 2: DATA COLLECTION OVERVIEW AND 

WORKBOOK 

This guide is Part 2 of a three-part series to help barge companies participate in the SmartWay 

Transport Partnership.

In this guide you will learn about: 

1. The general organization of the SmartWay Barge Tool, and 

2. Data needs for each section of the Tool.

You will also have the opportunity to collect your data using our data collection worksheets in

preparation for the data entry step (Part 3). 

Please review this guide carefully BEFORE attempting to use the Tool or enter data. Understanding 

the data requirements and gathering all data in advance will save considerable time and frustration 

while completing your tool submission. 

If you wish to explore the Barge Tool in preparation for joining the program, please review Part 3: 

Data Entry Guide and return to this workbook to prepare for gathering your data.

Please note that each fleet that you operate will be characterized separately. 

In the event that you have a question about any of the data collection activities, you can contact 

SmartWay Email Support at smartway_transport@epa.gov and a member of our SmartWay Partner 

Support Team will assist you.

WARNING!

Completing the Barge Tool requires a considerable amount of information about your 

company and the fleets that are joining SmartWay. There are multiple sections and screens to complete 

for each fleet that you operate. 

While you will have the ability to save your Tool along the way and return to it at anytime, we 

STRONGLY ENCOURAGE you to review Part 1 to understand key information about joining the 

Partnership. Then, use Part 2 of this series to learn about the data requirements and gather your data 

BEFORE attempting to use Part 3 to complete the Tool.
4 

Overview of Data Collection Requirements

The SmartWay Barge Tool is the data collection and calculation system for barge companies that join the 

SmartWay Transport Partnership. There are four required sections of the SmartWay Barge Tool that 

require data about your company’s operations:

1. Specify Official Partner Name

2. Enter Company Contact Information

3. Characterize Your Fleets

4. Enter Activity and Fuel Information for Each of Your Fleets

This guide will explore the data required for completing these four sections. Part 3 of the three-part user

guide series explains more about the structure of the Tool and the data entry process; this guide will 

focus primarily on what you need to do to prepare for completing the Tool.

Section 1: Specify Official Partner Name

To begin, you must specify you company’s Partner name, exactly as you want it to appear on the 

SmartWay website. For example, if your company’s name includes “Inc.” or “Ltd.”, you may choose not 

to include that in your Partner name. Please also pay special attention to proper capitalization, 

abbreviations, and punctuation.

Section 2: Enter Company Contact Information

SmartWay needs complete contact information for correspondence, web posting, press releases, and 

awards and recognition (where applicable). The SmartWay Tool asks for: 

• General company information (e.g., location, web address, etc.)

• A Primary Contact1 for any questions about your company’s participation and Tool submissions

• An Executive Contact2 for participation in awards and recognition events - must be different 

than the Primary Contact

• Additional Contacts (optional): Additional contacts may include your press/media contact, your 

fleet manager, etc.—anyone who is not the Primary or Executive Contact but may be involved 

with SmartWay.

Please use Worksheet #1 in this guide to prepare for filling out the Contact Information 

Screen in the Barge Tool.

 

1 The Primary Contact is the individual designated by the Executive Contact to directly interface with SmartWay regarding specific tasks 

involved in the timely submission of the Tool. The Primary Contact is responsible for coordinating the assembly of information to 

complete/update fleet data; completing and updating the Tool itself; maintaining direct communication with SmartWay; and keeping 

interested parties within the company apprised of relevant developments with SmartWay.) NOTE: To ensure that emails from SmartWay/EPA 

are not blocked, new Primary Contacts may need to add SmartWay/EPA to their preferred list of trusted sources.

2 The Executive Contact is the company executive who is responsible for agreeing to the requirements in the SmartWay Partnership 

Agreement, overseeing the Primary Contact (as appropriate), and ensuring the timely submission of the Tool to SmartWay. The Executive 

Contact also represents the company at awards/recognition events. This person should be a Vice President or higher level representative for 

the company.
5 

Section 3: Characterize Your Fleets

The SmartWay Barge Tool allows you to characterize your freight operations at the fleet level. In the 

Barge Tool, a fleet is defined as any business unit that a customer has discretion to hire. 

NOTE: You may enter multiple fleets into a single Tool submission.

SmartWay highly recommends developing your list of fleets offline using a company organization chart 

or perhaps a customer interface webpage. The best strategy is to have a clear idea of how to define your 

fleets before filling out the Tool.

Your company’s name and your fleet name(s) will be listed on the SmartWay website to indicate your 

participation in the SmartWay Transport Partnership. Your shipper and logistics customers can search 

for your fleets by the names you submit in the Tool. 

It is critical that you identify your company and fleet(s) in the Tool as you would have them 

appear on the SmartWay website.

The “Characterize Your Fleets” section of the Tool has three subsections: 

1. Identify Fleets

2. Fleet Details 

3. Fleet Cargo

The data requirements for each tabbed section are described below.

Please use the Worksheet #2 provided in this guide to prepare for filling out the Characterize Fleets

section in the Barge Tool. 

NOTE: You may wish to print multiple copies if you have multiple fleets. 

Data Requirements for “Identify Fleets” Screen

For each fleet, you will need to specify:

• Partner Name (Fleet Prefix): On the SmartWay website, each of your fleet names will begin with 

the name of your company. This fleet "prefix" will be whatever you enter in the Partner Name 

field on the Identify Fleets screen. By default, the Partner Name for your first fleet on the 

Identify Fleets screen is automatically populated with the first 50 characters of the Partner 

Name that was entered on the Home screen. You should specify the Partner Name so that it 

appears EXACTLY as it you want it to show within each fleet name. (For example, if your 

company's name includes "Inc." or "Ltd.", you may choose not to include that in your fleet 

names.) Please pay special attention to proper capitalization, abbreviations, and punctuation. 

Remember that this name will be automatically inserted at the start of each of your fleet names

on the SmartWay website. 
6 

• Fleet Identifier: Please make sure to specify each fleet identifier (suffix) name exactly as you 

want it displayed on the SmartWay website, including proper capitalization, any abbreviations, 

and punctuation. Remember that it will automatically be combined with your Partner Name. 

NOTE: If you have only one fleet, you may leave the Fleet Identifier field blank, in which case 

your Fleet Name will simply be your Partner Name.

Data Requirements for “Fleet Details” Screen

For each fleet, you will need to specify:

• Fleet Type: Fleet Type is defined as the service type for your fleet. There are two options 

accepted by the Tool—“Open-water Barge” and “River Barge.” If your company has only one 

fleet, your “Fleet Type” selection will reflect your company’s operations as a whole. If there are 

multiple fleets, each will have its fleet type defined separately.

• Total Number of Barges: This is the total number of barges used by your fleet in the reporting 

year. The total number of barges must be greater than or equal to the total number of tugs in 

your fleet.

• Total Number of Tugs: This is the total number of tugs used by your fleet in the reporting year. 

The total number of tugs must be less than or equal to the total number of barges.

• Fleet Contact: This contact should be one of the contacts you already identified in the Contact 

Information section as the contact for each fleet. NOTE: A drop-down menu in the Tool will 

supply this information; if there is a contact for the fleet that is not already listed in the Contacts

worksheet, you will need to go back to that screen to add the required contact information. 

Data Requirements for “Fleet Cargo” Screen

For each fleet you will need to specify the amount of cargo shipped per year by commodity category. 

Specify the amount in short tons for all commodity categories except for “Containers”. For containers, 

you may choose to enter the amount in short tons or TEUs.

Section 4: Enter Activity and Fuel Information for Each of Your Fleets

Once you have identified and characterized your fleets you will be asked to provide additional 

information for EACH fleet separately. 

NOTE: If you are a new SmartWay Partner you should enter the most recent 12 months of 

data into the Tool. If you do not have a full year of operational data, please collect a 

minimum of three months’ data for input into the SmartWay Tool. In your next update year, 

you will be required to submit a full year’s data.

Geographic Operation Areas

Please use the Worksheet #3A provided in this guide to prepare for filling out the Geographic 

Operation Areas section in the Barge Tool (make one copy for each fleet). 
7 

You will need to provide the geographic operation areas about the selected fleet/division. Areas of 

Operation are broken out into coastal areas, U.S. navigable waterways, Canadian navigable waterways, 

and harbors. You are allowed the option of entering “other” areas of operation if necessary. 

Tug/Tow Characteristics

Please use the Worksheet #3B provided in this guide to prepare for filling out the Tug/Tow 

Characteristics section in the Barge Tool (make one copy for each vessel with each fleet).

You will need to provide the vessel-specific information for each tug/tow vessel identified on the Fleet 

Details screen. Specify the vessel type based on the most common type of operation. All fields require 

an entry except Coast Guard Number and Retrofit Information. If you have a large number of vessels, to 

enter, you may prefer to use the Import/Export function to bring vessel information into the Tool 

prepared outside the Tool. Data fields for this screen include: 

• Vessel Name: Enter the unique vessel name. 

• Vessel Type: Select the vessel type that best describes the tug. The options are: 

Linehaul, Locking, Canal, Harbor, Coastwise, and Other. If “Other” is selected, a 

description must be provided.

• Coast Guard Number: Enter the 6 or 7 digit USCG identification number. This data field 

is optional.

• Number of Engines: Specify if the vessel has one or two propulsion engines. The Tool 

assumes two engines are identical and used in the same way.

• Model/Last Rebuild Year: Enter the engine model year, or if the engine has been 

rebuilt, the year of the latest rebuild. Model year, or year of last rebuild, ensures that 

the US EPA engine tier level is correct in emission calculations. If the engine’s emission 

standards reflect an accelerated adoption schedule, you may select the year 

corresponding to the standard Tier Level introduction. For example, if a 2013 engine 

meets Tier 3 standards, you may enter 2014. 

• Power Units: Enter the units that you are using to specify total rated power. Options 

are horsepower (HP) or kilowatts (kW).

• Fuel Type: Specify the fuel type, including biodiesel blend percentage if 

applicable. Fuel type is needed to ensure that the correct emission factors are 

used and the associated sulfur concentration is correct.

• EPA Engine Category: The engine category is the US EPA level associated with the 

vessel’s propulsion engine(s). The options are Category 1 (less than 7 liters per 

cylinder) or Category 2 (7 to 30 liters per cylinder).

• Total Rated Propulsion Power: Enter the maximum rated power of the propulsion 

engine(s). For example, if there are two 2,000 HP engines then enter 4,000 as the total 

rated propulsion power. The total maximum rating of the propulsion system is needed 

to calculate horsepower (or kilowatt) hours, which is then applied to the appropriate 

factors to estimate emissions.

• Retrofit Information: If an engine has been retrofit with an emissions control 

technology, select this box to quantify the estimated NOx and PM emission 

reduction. 
8 

Vessel Operations

Please use the Worksheet #4 provided in this guide to prepare for filling out the Vessel Operations 

section in the Barge Tool (make one copy for each vessel with each fleet). 

You will need to provide vessel-specific operation information, differentiating hours of operation for 

propulsion engines and auxiliary engines used during the reporting year. Provide the total fuel used 

across all engines (propulsion and auxiliary). However, for vessels with LNG-powered propulsion 

engines, you will provide the fuel usage for auxiliary engines separately, as auxiliary engines are 

assumed to use ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel. Data fields include: 

• Data Source for Fuel and Activity Estimates: Indicate the source for your vessel 

operations data.

• Annual Fuel Usage and Fuel Type: Provide the total annual fuel use for each vessel, 

along with the appropriate units (gallons or tons). This information will be used to 

calculate CO2. (Note the exception for LNG auxiliary engines above.) 

• Towing Capacity: Enter the maximum towing capacity per trip for the vessel in short 

tons. This information is used to validate the estimated tonnage shipped. Enter the 

tonnage based on maximum cargo load rather than Bollard Pull – Bollard Pull does not 

uniquely specify cargo tonnage.

• Annual Hours of Operation for Propulsion Engines: For each mode of use, Underway 

and Maneuvering, enter the annual hours of operation for the main propulsion engines.

• Auxiliary Engines: Auxiliary engines are combustion engines used to generate 

electricity, run winches and cranes, control climate, and run pumps. Engines may be 

present on either tugs or barges. All auxiliary engines are assumed to be diesel 

powered. You may enter up to eight (8) auxiliary engines for each vessel. For each 

auxiliary engine, you must provide the following: Manufacture/Model Year, Annual 

Hours of Use, and the Total Rated Power (HP).

Please use the Worksheet #5 provided in this guide to prepare for filling out the Barge Operations 

section in the Barge Tool (make one copy for each vessel with each fleet). 

You will need to provide barge activity information for each barge type/size combination that you 

operate. The total number of barges in this section must equal the total number of barges entered in 

the Fleet Characterization section of the Tool. Data fields include: 

• Data Source for Barge Activity: Indicate the source for your barge operations data.

• Barge Type: Barge Type includes the basic barge configurations typically used to move 

freight, including hoppers, covered barges, tank barges, deck barges, and other specialty 

barges. Barge types of “Other” will also require a description and the custom volume in 

1,000 cubic feet.

• Barge Length: Barge lengths typically vary from 150 feet to 300 feet. If a barge is <150 

feet, enter its information in the 150 feet category. Barge widths also vary, from 28 to 

54 feet, although the tool assumes all barges are a standard 35 feet width in order to 

simplify calculations. Available barge sizes are 150 feet, 175 feet, 195 to 200 feet, and 

250 to 300 feet.
9 

• Number of Barges: Provide the total number of barges of a given type/size combination 

used in the fleet during the reporting year.

• Average Volume Utilization (Loaded Trips): Enter the fraction of available cargo 

volume typically used for each barge type/size combination during loaded trips. For 

deck barges, estimate the fraction of available surface area utilized.

• Annual Loaded Miles Per Barge: Enter the average number of miles a barge of the 

given type/size combination typically travels per year while loaded. All miles in the Tool 

refer to nautical miles (not statute miles).

• Annual Empty Miles Per Barge: Enter the average number of miles a barge of the given 

type/size combination typically travels per year while unloaded. All miles in the Tool 

refer to nautical miles (not statute miles).

• Average Loaded Payload Per Barge: Enter the average payload in short tons for a barge 

of the given type/size combination, for loaded trips.

• Total Fleet Activity: Enter the total annual ton-miles, loaded and unloaded barge miles 

for this fleet. This information will be used to help validate the barge type/size-specific 

data entries. All miles in the Tool refer to nautical miles (not statute miles).
10

Worksheets for Data Collection

List of Worksheets

#1: Contact Worksheet..............................................................................................................11 

#2: Fleet Characterization Worksheet...................................................................................12 

#3A: Geographic Operation Areas..........................................................................................13 

#3B: Tug/Tow Characteristics Worksheet..............................................................................14 

#4: Vessel Operations Worksheet..........................................................................................15 

#5: Barge Operations Worksheet.........................................................................................16 
11

Worksheet #1: Contact Information

Enter your Contact Information:

General Company Contact Information 

Company Name

Headquarters 

Mailing Address 

City State/Province Zip Country

Main Phone 

Number

Toll-free Number Cell 

number

Web Address

Primary Contact Information

Primary Contact Name

Primary Contact Mailing 

Address 

City State/Province Zip Country

Primary Contact Phone 

Number

Email 

Address

Executive Contact Information

Executive Contact Name

Executive Contact Mailing 

Address 

City State/Province Zip Country

Executive Contact Phone 

Number

Email 

Address

Other Contact Information

Other Contact Name

Other Contact Mailing 

Address 

City State/Province Zip Country

Other Contact Phone Number Email 

Address

Contact’s role in program
12

Worksheet #2: Fleet Characterization

Complete this worksheet for each fleet you will be submitting in the Barge Tool.

Specify Fleet Name: This will be a combination of your Partner Name and a Fleet Identifier you create. 

Use a Fleet Identifier that a company hiring your fleet would recognize. Enter it exactly as it 

should appear on the SmartWay website):

Partner Name (prefix)_________________________________________________________________

Fleet Identifier (suffix)________________________________________________________________

FLEET TYPE (check one):  Open-water Barge River Barge

Total # Barges:____________

Total # Tugs:_____________

Fleet Contact:___________________________________________________

Fleet Cargo: Enter the amount of cargo shipped per year by commodity category. Containers may be 

entered in units of short tons or TEUs. All other categories must be entered in short tons.

Commodity Amount Unit

Containers (select unit): __________________ Tons or TEUs

Coal: __________________ Tons

Sand & Gravel: __________________ Tons

Chemicals and Allied Products: __________________ Tons

Farm Products: __________________ Tons

Metallic Ores & Scrap: __________________ Tons

Finished Metals & Products: __________________ Tons

Petroleum: __________________ Tons

Coke: __________________ Tons

Lumber & Wood Products: __________________ Tons

Pulp, Paper & Allied Products: __________________ Tons

Motor Vehicles & Equipment: __________________ Tons

All Other Commodities*: __________________ Tons

 

*If Other Commodities is selected, please describe type:

___________________________________________________
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Worksheet #3a: Geographic Operation Areas

Complete this worksheet for each fleet you will be submitting in the Barge Tool.

Geographic Operations Areas

Check the area(s) that apply:

 Atlantic Coast  Pacific Coast

 Gulf of Mexico  Great Lakes

 Upper Mississippi  Lower Mississippi

 Atlantic Intercoastal Waterways  Northwest (including Alaska

 Ohio River Basin  Illinois Basin

 Tennessee Basin  St. Lawrence Seaway

 Gulf of St. Lawrence  Hudson Bay/James Bay/Hudson Strait

 Mackenzie River/Great Slave Lake/Great Bear Lake  Georgia Strait/Strait of Juan de Fuca

 Harbors  Other*

*If “Other” is selected, please describe type: _____________________________________
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Worksheet #3B: Tug/Tow Characteristics

Complete this worksheet for each vessel within your fleet.

Select which vessel type:

 Linehaul

 Locking

 Canal

 Harbor

 Coastwise

 Other*

*If “Other” is selected, please describe the vessel:________________________________________

Vessel Coast Guard Number:_____________

Number of propulsion engines (select one):  ONE or  TWO

EPA engine category (select one):  ONE or  TWO

Engine model year or the year of the last rebuild:_____________

Select the engine fuel type:

 Marine Diesel (Low Sulfur)

 Marine Diesel (Ultra-Low Sulfur)

 Biodiesel* 

 Liquefied Natural Gas

*If Biodiesel was selected, please provide the biodiesel blend: B_________

Total Rated Propulsion Power (HP or kW): Enter the total rated power for all propulsion engine 

combined. (Example: Two 2,000 HP engines would have 4,000 HP total rated power.): ___________

Select which units your total rated power is entered in:  HP or  kW

Is there a retrofit on this engine?  Yes or  No

If you answered “Yes” to a retrofit, identify the retrofit (select one):

 Fuel Injection Engine Improvements

 SCR

 Common Rail

 Diesel Electric

 Humid Air Motor (HAM)

 Hybrid Engines

 Diesel Oxidation Catalyst

 Lean NOx Catalyst

 Other*

*If “Other” was selected, provide the following information:

NOx Reduction %: _____ Explanation:_______________________________________________

PM Reduction %: _____ Explanation:_______________________________________________
15

Worksheet #4: Vessel Operations

Describe the data source used to provide the fuel and activity estimates for the vessel operations in 

this fleet: _____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Complete this portion of the worksheet for each vessel within your fleet.

Annual Fuel Usage: __________________________ Units (select one):  Gallons or  Tons

Total towing capacity per trip based on maximum cargo load: ___________________ Tons

Annual hours of operation for propulsion engines while UNDERWAY: _________________ Hours/Year

Annual hours of operation for propulsion engines while MANEUVERING: ______________ Hours/Year

Does this vessel have auxiliary engines?  Yes or  No

If you answered “Yes” to auxiliary engines, enter the following information for each auxiliary 

engine (allows up to EIGHT (8) auxiliary engines per vessel). If this vessel uses a propulsion 

engine powered by LNG, you will also need to provide the amount of annual fuel usage for all 

auxiliary engines for this vessel. All auxiliary engines for LNG-powered vessels are assumed to 

use ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel:

Manufacture / Model Year: ____________________

Annual Hours of Use: _________________________

Total Rated Power (HP): ______________________

Annual Diesel (gallons) (applicable only for LNG-powered vessels): ____________________

NOTE: To convert kW to HP: kW / 0.7457 = HP
16

Worksheet #5: Barge Operations

Complete this worksheet for each fleet you will be submitting in the Barge Tool.

Describe the data source used to provide the fuel and activity estimates for the barge operations in 

this fleet: _____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Use the table below to enter barge activity for each barge type and size combination. The total 

number of barges must match the number of barges identified in the fleet characterization worksheet. 

Required data include: 

• Barge Size: Enter data for the appropriate barge type and length combination. Barge lengths 

typically vary from 150 feet to 300 feet. If a barge is < 150 feet, enter its information in the 150 

foot category.

• Total Number of Barges: Enter the total number of barges of a given type & size combination.

• Average Volume Utilization (Loaded Trips): Enter the fraction of available cargo volume 

typically used for each barge type & size combination during loaded trips. For deck barges, 

estimate the fraction of available surface area utilized.

• Annual Loaded Miles per Barge: Enter the average number of nautical miles a barge of the 

given type & size combination typically travels per year while loaded. 

• Annual Empty Miles per Barge: Enter the average number of nautical miles a barge of the given 

type & size combination typically travels per year while unloaded.

• Average Loaded Payload per Barge: Enter the average payload in short tons for a barge of the 

given type & size combination for loaded trips.

Enter the Total Fleet Activity: Once the table for barge activity is complete, enter the total annual tonmiles, loaded and unloaded barge miles for the entire fleet. All miles are in nautical miles. 

Total Ton-Miles: __________________________

Loaded Barge Miles: _______________________

Unloaded Barge Miles: _____________________

NOTE: To calculate total ton-miles for this fleet, multiply the average loaded payload per barge by the 

average loaded annual miles per barge and then by the total number of barges. To check your data, 

divide total ton-miles by total miles. The result is the fleet-average payload. If this number is not 

reasonable, check your calculations.
17

Worksheet #5: Barge Operations (cont.)

Barge Size Number of 

Barges

Average 

Volume 

Utilization 

(Loaded Trips)

Annual Loaded 

Miles per 

Barge

Annual Empty 

Miles per 

Barge

Average 

Loaded 

Payload per 

Barge

Barge Type: HOPPER

150 Feet %

175 Feet %

195 to 200 Feet %

250 to 300 Feet %

Barge Type: COVERED CARGO

150 Feet %

175 Feet %

195 to 200 Feet %

250 to 300 Feet %

Barge Type: TANK

150 Feet %

175 Feet %

195 to 200 Feet %

250 to 300 Feet %

Barge Type: DECK

150 Feet %

175 Feet %

195 to 200 Feet %

250 to 300 Feet %

Barge Type: CONTAINER

150 Feet %

175 Feet %

195 to 200 Feet %

250 to 300 Feet %

Barge Type: OTHER*

150 Feet %

175 Feet %

195 to 200 Feet %

250 to 300 Feet %

*If you entered data for “OTHER” barge type, you must also provide the following information.

“OTHER” barge type description: ___________________________________________________

Enter the custom barge volume values in 1,000 cubic feet for the “OTHER” barges you have 

specified.

Barge Size Custom Volume in 1,000 Cubic Feet

150 Feet

175 Feet

195 to 200 Feet

250 to 300 Feet