Robert Allan Ltd. - Naval Architects and Marine Engineers

Seaspan Rigger Robert Allan Ltd. has a long and successful history of barge design which dates back to the earliest years of the company. The tug and barge are the sole means of general and bulk transportation on the coast of British Columbia and hence the company has grown up with meeting the challenges of designing various barges to handle all manner of cargoes with various means of loading and unloading. In the 1960's the company was amongst the first in the world to develop barge designs for long distance ocean towing and some of the first ocean towed, multi-barge "drop and swap" type cargo systems. The company files include designs for open, covered and self-unloading barges, including the first and the vast majority of the unique self loading/self-dumping log barges unique to the BC coast.

Commodities carried on these barges include: General deck cargo, Bulk deck cargo (sand, gravel, rock), Logs, Lumber, Wood chips, Paper Products, Pulp, Bulk Cement, Clinker, Limestone, Oil and Containers.

Many of these designs were model tested and the company has an extensive library of data on the most efficient barge hull forms. In an effort to simplify the myriad of design options available, we have recently developed a new standard series of heavy duty ocean-going deck cargo barges, designated the "Hercules" series, which will be available in the following capacities:

Hercules - standard Ocean series: 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 7500, 10000, 12500, 15000, 20000

Similarly we have developed a large number of barges for service on shallow rivers, where although strength is critical, so is the lightest possible lightweight of the barge for the challenges of very low draft. This series are aptly named the Hera series, after the Olympian "Queen of the Gods" and wife of Zeus, which also was the name of the first barge designed by Robert Allan Ltd. for a company outside of North America back in 1970; a self-unloading bundled log carrier for Neptun Towing of Sweden. These barges are designed to operate in 1.0 to 2.0 metres of water, and carry their nominal deadweight at 1.50 metres draft.

Hera - shallow draft series: 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000

Self-unloading Barges
Among our portfolio of barge designs are many specialized barges with self-unloading systems for products such as bulk cement, limestone, clinker and similar products for the construction industry. In addition many barges have been designed and built with cranes of various capacities. Further, many barge have shore access amps of various lengths and capacities to facilitate Ro-Ro access to everything from modern docks and slipways to rocky beaches.

Oil Barges
Robert Allan Ltd. has designed many barges for the transport of oil products, for river and coastal service. This includes a number of double-hulled barges for compliance with the latest regulations.