17/08/2026
Over the years we have made a series of small although important changes to our barges at Skardon River, improving crew safety whilst increasing our operational efficiency. In transhipment, adjustability is one of the greatest assets a company can have as needs for equipment are heavily dependent on the material being shipped and the location of operations.
Bauxite, for example, is a not smooth cargo - when it spills over the walls and onto the walkways, it creates a slip and trip hazard and is not great for the environment either. To improve crew safety and minimise our environmental impact, we raised the height of the cargo walls in 2024.
Operating in a river system also comes with its own challenges as tides fluctuate and difficult weather is a part of the job. To make berthing easier in the river, we added push pads on both sides of the barges with a crow’s nest, and stairs and handrails over the push pads so that crew can transfer safely from vessel to vessel and have a clear viewing point.
To further decrease the risk of man overboard (MoB) Davits were installed on all our vessels to assist with recovery, and MoB sensors were installed in out crew's personal floatation devices (PFD’s), so if a member of the team falls in the water, alarms in all vessels will be triggered, allowing all vessels in the area to focus on recovering the MoB.
These improvements were made across our fleet a few years ago, although the initiatives didn't stop there. We have officially added these measures as a part of our standard barge design, ensuring that all future barges are built with safety first in mind.
