Barge with Swimming pool - Loadline question

hello,

i as trying to do calculation for freeing port. We have a swimming pool at the Aft most of the ship , 98% breadth of barge. I was thinking during transport of the barge, to avoid having extra freeing port for swimming pool, is it okay if we cover the swimming pool with tarpaulins ?

Any rules for this ?

 

Are you towing it or transporting it over land?

 

towing it probably , or another option using a heavy lifting vessel.

 

Sounds fine if the tarps are supported by hatch boards or similar to shed water outboard.
See this my first goggle hit, roughly this.. http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/014399.html

Tarps over hatches & hatch boards or gratings are traditional, typically a batten is wedged to brackets around the hatch perimeter to hold the tarp to the coaming.

Jeff.

 

Thanks waikikin, i was also checking the rule from load line, i think the swimming pool opening can be taken as hatchway , right ?
so in that case to increase the freeboard by 50 mm ( as the barge is around 70 m in length), class should agree with it .

 

I don't know, but I'd be VERY surprised if you could!

 

It's not clear how this pool is arranged. Is it recessed into the deck? Is it built on top of the deck?

The strength of hatchways, etc. is covered by the LL regulations because a failed hatch cover can become a point of downflooding leading below deck. It's not clear this pool could cause downflooding into the hull of the vessel.

 

here is a perspective view of the pool which as at Aft End.

 

This is just an opinion, since I have not reviewed any regulation. Therefore, consider my words as a note of attention, nothing else: I do not think the pool influences in determining the freeboard. Influences, a lot, in the stability calculations for being a large and very high weight and a large free surface. What is certain is that you must have a special valve that allows a quick emptying in any emergency. If the bottom of the pool is below the draft, that will be an additional difficulty.