OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY · VENEZUELA By Carlos Gonzalez | Venezuela Country Manager The flat-bottomed vessel that carries drilling rigs, cranes and work crews out over the water. In English, it's called a barge. A drilling barge carries the complete rig on deck: derrick, draw-works, mud pumps and crew quarters. A barge is a flat-bottomed cargo vessel with a wide beam and shallow draft. In most cases it has no propulsion of its own: a tug tows it from the bow, or a pusher boat dri