Motor hopper CHUB fully laden

CHUB passing through Fretherne Bridge

Unusual steering mechanism

Motor Hopper CHUB

Thompson River Transport operated 3 motor hopper barges from Gloucester.

Converted from dumb hoppers, they were motorised in 1997 and are used annually

to take away the mud dredged from the docks.

Crewed by two men, they completed a daily trip from Gloucester to Purton and return.

Motor Hopper CHUB

Each hopper carried 150 tonnes of mud.

This took only 30 minutes to load from the dredger and even less time to pump out!

The average time to travel the 14 miles from Gloucester to Purton took 3 hours. The return trip empty took slightly less than this.

Empty motor hopper CHUB

CHUB returning empty to Gloucester

CHUB passing a Dutch barge

The 3 motor hoppers, CHUB and PERCH are currently carrying sand at the Cemex site at the Ryall plant in Worcestershire.

Dredging