A barge, in this context, refers to a long, flat-bottomed vessel primarily used for transporting heavy goods across water bodies. Traditionally dependent on the power of other navigation methods, such as towing or pushing by tugboats, modern barges are often self-propelled. The carriage capacity of a barge can range from lighter household loads up to heavy goods such as coal and grain. Due to their design and function, barges are predominantly used in still or calm water bodies such as canals, rivers, and harbors rather than open turbid sea waters.

-propelled flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. 1. The Mississippi River is buzzingly active, with cargo-laden barges constantly making their way up and down its course, transporting goods like corn and coal. 2. Historically, barges were an integral part of the transport system in Venice, Italy, where they were used to deliver wine and other goods along the city's many canals. 3. In the early 19th century, a barge called a 'narrowboat' was commonly used on the British canal system to transport coal from the mines to the industrial centers. 4. During the construction of the Philae temple in ancient Egypt, large stone blocks were often transported via barges along the Nile River to the construction site. 5. On the rivers of the Amazon Rainforest, barges are a common sight, often used by locals to transport large quantities of timber or agricultural products to the regions' main trading posts.

Propelled barge is a type of flat-bottomed boat, primarily used for transporting heavy goods, typically on canals and rivers. The interesting fact is that the largest barge ever built is Hughes Mining Barge (HMB-1), a submersible barge/pontoon that was originally built in the 1970s to transport the Glomar Explorer drilling ship. Today, it is employed by the U.S. Navy for launching space shuttles and experimental vehicles into the ocean. This massive barge, measuring 324 feet in length and 106 feet in breadth, embodies the power and capability of naval architecture and engineering.