A Dutch barge is a traditional flat-bottomed shoal-draught barge, originally used to carry cargo in the shallow Zuiderzee and the waterways of Netherlands. There are many types of Dutch barge, with characteristics determined by regional conditions and traditions.
Motorised Dutch Barge passing a swing bridge on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal
A pair of schuyts aground, in a print dated 1860.
1887 watercolour of a Dutch Barge.
Traditional boat on the IJsselmeer
Barge often refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but on inland waterways, most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels. The term barge has a rich history, and therefore there are many other types of barges.
Barges towed by a tugboat on the River Thames in London, England, UK
A British Airways Concorde being towed in New York City, USA. It is on a deck barge.
River barge below Barton Aqueduct c. 1793
A Dutch barge in Namur