DRW-80 self-propelled shallow-draught barge

DRW-80 Small Self-Propelled Shallow-Draft Barge

250 metric tons.
Designed for transporting grain on small rivers.

Drawing on many years of market experience and a thorough analysis of the country's agricultural sector, Dredgers of Ukraine has developed a unique cargo vessel designed to carry grain and other cargo on small rivers and water bodies with shallow channels. A small self-propelled barge with a shallow draft and a capacity of 250 metric tons is the optimal way to organize transport where large vessels cannot be used and moving cargo by grain trucks or other land freight transport becomes economically unviable. And this is not some homemade contraption by "local tinkerers", but a vessel carefully engineered by our experienced engineers, with rich equipment, a set of specialized machinery and mandatory registration in the state register.

New Opportunities

Ukraine is an agricultural country. In recent years the number of farms and agricultural cooperatives in Ukraine has been growing steadily, and this growth comes primarily from small and medium-sized businesses. Such small enterprises are very often located far from major agricultural "hubs" and grain elevators, and they have no storage or drying facilities of their own for the harvested crops. Yet they account for the lion's share of all crops grown in the country, and it is they who have to solve complex seasonal logistics challenges every year. Taking into account the current situation in the country's agricultural logistics, the real-world experience of small and medium farms in organizing transport, and the extensive networks of small rivers and water bodies in many regions of Ukraine, our specialists have developed a practical, versatile and cost-effective solution for a huge range of such tasks.

Four Times Cheaper Than Road Transport

Take, for example, a typical grain farmer in the Cherkasy region. During the harvest season, the farm has to include a budget line for transporting the harvested grain, which noticeably hits business profitability and becomes one of the most significant costs. Without its own fleet of grain trucks, the cost of transporting one ton of grain by hired road transport (a 20-ton grain truck) averages UAH 1.20-1.25 per kilometer across Ukraine. This means that transporting, say, 200 tons of grain to the grain transshipment terminal in Ochakiv near Mykolaiv (about 400 kilometers) will cost UAH 100,000. And that is one way only, not counting the cost of returning the vehicles to the carrier's base, which will certainly be included in the price. Even with their own vehicle fleet, agribusinesses today cannot expect the one-way cost of transporting such a batch to be lower than UAH 50,000, excluding the return trip. On top of that, one must consider vehicle depreciation, fleet maintenance costs – from a staff mechanic to drivers for every vehicle – servicing, transport tax and other aspects of running an in-house logistics department.

The DRW-80 small self-propelled barge from Dredgers of Ukraine offers a delivery cost per ton of grain or other cargo that is unique for this type of vessel: UAH 0.30-0.31 per kilometer. Simply put, a single trip of the DRW-80 carrying 200 tons of cargo over the same distance saves the shipper at least UAH 75,000 compared with hired transport and about UAH 50,000 compared with in-house transport.

Given that the barge covers this route by water in about 32-34 hours, while a grain truck takes only 4-5 hours, one might assume that 6 or more trucks could move the same volume of cargo, so there is no point in maintaining too large a fleet. But in summer, when road surfaces heat up and restrictions on heavy trucks during daytime come into force, this figure drops by half. As a result, to match the barge's transport capacity, a company would need 10 or more trucks.

• makes transporting each ton of cargo at least 4 times cheaper;
• does not require a large staff to maintain and operate a vehicle fleet;
• allows transport 24 hours a day, regardless of seasonal restrictions on the country's highways;
• eliminates the basic risks of road transport (accidents, crime, cargo loss, poor road conditions, etc.);
• allows additional equipment to be installed for a whole range of other tasks;
• has significantly lower operating costs.

Twice as Cheap as a Large Barge

Some agricultural producers with larger production volumes often use hired barges with a capacity of 3,000 tons or more. This may involve not only delivering cargo to port terminals but also the now common practice of transshipping cargo onto vessels at sea. Such transport is cheaper than road transport – about UAH 0.6 per ton-kilometer – but comes with a number of nuances.

First, the economic viability of such vessels requires them to be fully loaded – that means at least 3,000 tons of cargo at a time. Second, loading a large barge requires the producer to have expensive infrastructure and a nearby water body with a channel of sufficient depth. The DRW-80 small barge has a draft of only 130 centimeters, so cargo can be loaded on board in almost any conditions. A level shoreline with a nearshore depth of one meter or more is quite sufficient. Bulk cargo is transshipped using special vacuum pumps directly from the body of any vehicle used to bring the harvested produce from the storage site to the barge loading point.

It should also be noted that the vessel's shallow draft and compact dimensions not only provide greater maneuverability but also significantly expand its area of operation – the DRW-80 becomes the ideal choice for small rivers and water bodies with narrow and shallow channels that none of the vessels used by carriers could previously reach. And the country has a huge number of farms, processing facilities and industrial enterprises that can arrange delivery of harvested crops and other cargo to the shore of a small water body connected to the main river arteries. Finally, in real money terms, the DRW-80 barge still turns out to be twice as economical a way to move cargo by water from point A to point B. Moreover, owning a small barge can be an excellent investment, aimed not only at saving on transport but also at generating additional income by providing transport services to other cargo owners handling medium-sized batches. As a result, year-round operation of the DRW-80 barge pays back the costs of its purchase, maintenance and the wages of a four-person crew within 2-3 years, which is one of the best figures available today.

• does not require tugs or towing vessels, as it is equipped with its own power units and is a self-propelled vessel
• can move freely in water bodies only slightly more than one meter deep and with limited channel width
• does not require building expensive infrastructure for cargo transshipment
• does not require forming a 3,000-ton cargo batch to achieve the most efficient loading
• offers half the delivery cost per ton of cargo
• offers a wider range of operating capabilities and is easily refitted for completely different types of tasks.

For more detailed information about the DRW-80 small self-propelled barge and to clarify all operational, technical and legal details, please contact Dredgers of Ukraine representatives at the listed phone numbers. Get in touch with our specialist and you will receive detailed information on any question of interest: from additional operating capabilities of the new vessel to help in calculating the "basic economics" of such a technical solution for your transport needs.

Vessel Specifications

Hopper Specifications

Superstructure Specifications

Auxiliary Equipment

Delivery Terms