Hopper barge

[2][3][4] The term 'hopper barge' surfaces in the second half of 19th century England, especially in relation to dredging.

[6] By the 1890s, iron hopper barges used in dredging had doors in the hull for quickly dumping their load on the sea floor.

[8] It may be unloaded either by bulk-handling cranes, or by being constructed with some mechanism to dump the contents through the bottom of the hull.

This means that the sides and bottom of the cargo hold are separated from the hull by void spaces.

[10] The open hopper barge is generally used to carry ores and steel on inland waterways.

The vessel consists of two major moving parts (port and starboard halves), both are mostly symmetrical in design.

When the vessel splits the load is dumped rapidly, which means the barge has to be very stable in order not to capsize or otherwise get damaged.