Patent ID: 7424857

Claim:
A shallow draft brown water to deep draft open seas blue water marine transport system and processing structures of barging cargo comprising an improved barge vessel having a hull, bow, stern, deck, sidewalls, and cargo space that is self-powered or tow able, The improved barging vessel comprises, a barge formed with hull dimensions between 485 feet and 595 feet long and 105.5 feet wide, which match the US Army Corps of Engineers locks having a minimum dimension of 600 feet long by 110 feet wide, and a draft of 9 feet or shallower to mach the minimum shallow part of the system referred to as brown water, strengthening the barge to withstand open seas by added steel or other strong structure material, an additional deck and frame interconnecting the bow and sidewalls, a reinforced bulkhead, a center spline, higher freeboard and hatches, the system of barging cargo on the improved barge vessel may transport cargo between a first port, over shallow brown water, through channels and locks, over deep blue water and discharges the cargo at a second port with no transshipment in-between.