Péniche (barge)

A péniche (or spits in Dutch) is a steel motorised inland waterway barge of up to 350 tonnes' capacity.

Péniche barges were built to fit the post-1880s French waterways and the locks of Freycinet gauge.

[1] They were especially designed for the Belgian and French canal locks, and as a result of the wish to maximise space for freight, the barges tend to be flat-sided, with short, rounded bows and sterns.

[2] Nowadays the specification is still applied for commercial navigation as Class I in the Classification of European Inland Waterways.

Especially in the Belgian and French types, the péniche's full stern provides a higher buoyancy and insufficient water around the propeller when empty.