A new, $1.7-million deck barge almost a city block in length recently joined the fleet of Central Marine Service, Inc., New Orleans-based barge rental company.
The CMS 1263, constructed by Bergeron Industries, Inc., measures 260 feet long, 72 feet wide, and 16 feet deep. Designed for 2,000 pounds per square foot, the barge can carry 5,147 long tons of cargo at a load line draft of 12 feet 7⅞ inches.
The vessel, built to American Bureau of Shipping classification and certified by the U.S. Coast Guard for unmanned ocean service, contains 1,040 tons of steel and is equipped with heavy duty fenders.
The design was model tested at the University of Michigan prior to construction.
Killian L. Huger Jr., Central Marine president, said a sister barge of the same type is under construction at Bergeron and will be delivered in several weeks.
Central Marine is one of the largest barge rental firms in the Gulf area, supplying a wide range of inland and ocean barges, available at New Orleans, Houma, and Venice, La.; Houston and Aransas Pass, Texas; and Mobile, Ala.