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Ugly boat on the Thames


Tam & Di

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On page 21 of the paper "The New European" issue 4-10 November there is a photo of an exceedingly ugly barge conversion at Westminster bridge. The picture is a very poor reproduction, and it is not possible to see if it is a private boat or a hotel boat - does anyone have any information on it? It is also in very close proximity to a tug - I don't know if that is foreshortening in the photo (in which case it does seem to be rathe cutting across the bows of the tug) or if the tug is actually towing it abreast.


The image is much too poor to reproduce here.

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Thanks for the photo Tam, and I see what you meant, and have to agree for 200 %

 

If there would be a price for the ugliest boat afloat, this one would be a sure winner.

 

It's too bad to see that such a lovely hull with a very nice sheer, has been completely spoilt with this super-square box superstructure.

 

If they would have done that on a Thames dumb barge, it wouldn't have been such a shame, but this should be punished by law.

 

Peter.

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On page 21 of the paper "The New European" issue 4-10 November there is a photo of an exceedingly ugly barge conversion at Westminster bridge. The picture is a very poor reproduction, and it is not possible to see if it is a private boat or a hotel boat - does anyone have any information on it? It is also in very close proximity to a tug - I don't know if that is foreshortening in the photo (in which case it does seem to be rathe cutting across the bows of the tug) or if the tug is actually towing it abreast.

The image is much too poor to reproduce here.

Reminds me of the Thames"Hotel boat" African Queen!

 

CT

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Can't really see what that structure on the barge is. Are they turnbuckles holding it on? Is it really a portacabin? the hold coamings appear to be still intact so maybe it really is just a big box thing sat in the hold. As for that thing with a shipping container on it ........

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Surely the "thing with the shipping container on it" is an artistic statement, juxtaposing the historic "working narrowboat converted to dwelling" with it's modern equivalent.

If canal transport was invented now instead of 200 yrs ago, then working boats would look more like the container boat.

Just paint a few roses & castles on it.

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Surely the "thing with the shipping container on it" is an artistic statement, juxtaposing the historic "working narrowboat converted to dwelling" with it's modern equivalent.

If canal transport was invented now instead of 200 yrs ago, then working boats would look more like the container boat.

Just paint a few roses & castles on it.

 

There is nothing against shipping containers on barges, but I much prefer to see them on barges that were built for that sort of transport, and not spoiling a nicely shape old Dutch barge with something that looks like portacabins or shipping containers badly adapted to fit-out a barge that was a pleasure to see before.

 

Just as an example of a container barge that has been built for the job, and that doesn't look too bad with them onboard.

 

909291Containerbarge.jpg

This one is 135m long, 17,10m wide, 3.35m max draft and 5008Ton she has 2 main engines MTU of 1900 hp each and a 1800hp BT.

 

Probably slightly to big to work on the Thames I reckon.

 

Peter.

Edited by bargemast
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There is nothing against shipping containers on barges, but I much prefer to see them on barges that were built for that sort of transport, and not spoiling a nicely shape old Dutch barge with something that looks like portacabins or shipping containers badly adapted to fit-out a barge that was a pleasure to see before.

 

Just as an example of a container barge that has been built for the job, and that doesn't look too bad with them onboard.

 

909291Containerbarge.jpg

This one is 135m long, 17,10m wide, 3.35m max draft and 5008Ton she has 2 main engines MTU of 1900 hp each and a 1800hp BT.

 

Probably slightly to big to work on the Thames I reckon.

 

Peter.

 

 

Much bigger container ships use the Thames:

 

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/pictured-biggest-ship-ever-on-thames-docks-at-london-gateway-10071307.html

 

Tim

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OK, I'm not a ship designer and complicated maths is way beyond me but why doesn't that Maersk container ship just roll over? And why don't all the containers fall off? years ago I used to rope and sheet lorries and if I loaded that great big thing I would use miles and miles of rope but I can't see even a piece of string holding that lot on. Perhaps that's why my LED lamps from China never arrived, the container fell off.

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OK, I'm not a ship designer and complicated maths is way beyond me but why doesn't that Maersk container ship just roll over? And why don't all the containers fall off? years ago I used to rope and sheet lorries and if I loaded that great big thing I would use miles and miles of rope but I can't see even a piece of string holding that lot on. Perhaps that's why my LED lamps from China never arrived, the container fell off.

Indeed, it always amazes me that there must be more weight below water level than above or it would surely be top heavy?

 

George ex nb Alton retired

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OK, I'm not a ship designer and complicated maths is way beyond me but why doesn't that Maersk container ship just roll over? And why don't all the containers fall off? years ago I used to rope and sheet lorries and if I loaded that great big thing I would use miles and miles of rope but I can't see even a piece of string holding that lot on. Perhaps that's why my LED lamps from China never arrived, the container fell off.

The containers are locked to the ship (and each other) with fixings like these

HT1rVvyFOtaXXagOFbXn.jpg

 

Of course they don't always work perfectly.

 

disaster2007.Ital.Florida7_E03EC010-0936

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OK, I'm not a ship designer and complicated maths is way beyond me but why doesn't that Maersk container ship just roll over? And why don't all the containers fall off? years ago I used to rope and sheet lorries and if I loaded that great big thing I would use miles and miles of rope but I can't see even a piece of string holding that lot on. Perhaps that's why my LED lamps from China never arrived, the container fell off.

 

If you used miles and miles of rope in the past to strap that big thing to a lorry, then that lorry wasn't made for the transport of containers, as they are fixed very simply and efficiently with their own special locking system.

 

Jess supplied the answer of the inter-locking of the containers already, and this barge isn't used for trips to and from China, it's only for inland navigation.

 

They normally have different ballast compartments to keep the vessel straight, but they try to load them in such a way that the weight is as evenly spread as possible.

 

Ocean-Container ships do sometimes lose a few (or sometimes even a lot) containers if they're hit by a hurricane, and you sometimes hear of yachts that get damaged or sink, after having hit a container at sea.

 

Peter.

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