{{unreferenced, date=March 2011 SDC Bludworth

The Bludworth articulated tug and barge (ATB) ocean tug

barge A barge is typically a flat-bottomed boat, flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and ocean, marine water environments. The firs ...

connection system was developed by Richard and Robert Bludworth during the 1960s. The first Bludworth articulated tug barge unit was the ocean

Liquefied petroleum gas Liquefied petroleum gas, also referred to as liquid petroleum gas (LPG or LP gas), is a fuel gas which contains a flammable mixture of hydrocarbon gases, specifically propane, Butane, ''n''-butane and isobutane. It can also contain some ...

(LPG) barge ''Ponciana'' which was coupled with the converted ATB tug ''Texan'' in 1970. '' Texan'' sank off

Cape Hatteras Cape Hatteras is a cape located at a pronounced bend in Hatteras Island, one of the barrier islands of North Carolina. As a temperate barrier island, the landscape has been shaped by wind, waves, and storms. There are long stretches of beach ...

in 1979. ''Ponciana'' is still a working ocean LPG barge coupled with the 1980-built tug ''Texan''.

See also