Accommodation Barge

A non-propelled offshore lodging unit that houses construction, hook-up, or maintenance crews alongside a platform or quay. It carries cabins, galley, sewage and water treatment, and lifesaving appliances, and is towed or positioned by tug then held by anchors or a connected gangway. SOLAS treats a unit with sleeping berths for the workforce as a special-purpose ship under the SPS Code (MSC.266(84), 2008) when self-propelled; a dumb accommodation barge is classed and certified to flag and class rules rather than as a passenger ship. Larger semi-submersible versions are flotels.