New Bridge Unveiled for US Pushboats

New pushboat bridge unveiled for USA Inland Shipping Expo

JRC and Alphatron Marine will introduce a new pushboat bridge concept dedicated for the American river and inland waterways.

Harnessing 25 years of European inland waterways experience, the companies say a balance is struck between the latest technological advancements and the unique operating requirements for some of the world’s largest rivers.

In Europe, typically inland shipping can move a maximum six barges at a time while the size of the rivers in the United States allows for transport of up to 36 barges at the same time. The developers of the new bridge have gained experience from close to 400 modular bridge solutions delivered to the European market, and based on this developed the pushboat variant. 

The bridge comprises of two ergonomic and dynamically designed consoles with a central captain’s chair mounted on rails. The majority of controls and instruments necessary to operate the pushboat are all within easy reach.

Besides controlling the vessel from a single chair, the captains can now actually feel the power of the main and flanking rudders while holding the joystick. This way of operation, designed together with Dutch hydraulic steering specialist van der Velden Marine Systems, lets operators feel control of the vessel. 

The console includes semi-retractable screens for navigation and other operational data which can be “pushed away” when not needed, for example the moment the barges are being connected to the pushboat. The overhead between the two consoles has been lowered so that the operator can have a clear view of the instruments while looking on the forward deck.