Lighterage is about loading or unloading ships using lighters (barges) that can form a sort of ad-hoc ramp or shuttle from ships at anchor; they are often used when a port’s dockside is too shallow for the ship, or dockside berths are unavailable.

These modules greatly expand landing options for well-equipped militaries, and may be versatile enough to be used in sea-based transfers as well. Even so, lighterage is one of those quiet enablers that rarely receives the attention it merits.

In August 2003, Marinette Marine Corp. in Marinette, WI won a firm-fixed-price contract for the manufacture of the new Improved Navy Lighterage System (INLS), including both powered and non-powered modules.

The systems will be delivered at Naval Amphibious Construction Battalion One in Coronado, CA; Naval Amphibious Construction Battalion Two in Little Creek, Norfolk, VA; the Expeditionary Warfare Training Group Pacific; and Blount Island Command in Jacksonville, FL.

Read more: Whatever Floats Your Tank: Improved Navy Lighterage System