River transport of bulk goods and liquids is mostly carried out by barges, especially on long distances, and it can be pushed or towed. The transport by pushed barges is safer and generates less resistance, but in some cases the transport with towed barges is required. In the latter case it must be ensured a good route-keeping to the barges, in order to be easily controlled and sure from getting out of the planned route and to be stranded on a shore. In general the route keeping is guaranteed by couples of stern skegs, which must be designed according to the barge typology. In a river navigation also the effects due to shallow water and the river currents must be taken into account. In this paper the mentioned problems will be explained in detail and some results obtained with experiments with model barges in an experimental tank will be presented.
