Last year, a bankrupt Canadian mining company put the world's largest hover barge (17,000 square feet of deck space with a clear deck area of 9,000 square feet) up for sale. But if you're interested — sorry folks, the deal just closed.
There are no roads near the Tulsequah River in Canada, 40 miles northeast of Juneau, Alaska, so if you need to get tons of ore and equipment to your mining site, wheeled vehicles just won't get the job done. That's why Redfern Resources, Ltd. commissioned Sundial Marine Construction & Repair of Troutdale, Oregon to build "Monty," the largest hover barge in the world.
The barge itself is constructed out of DH-36 steel and measures 210 feet by 82 feet with a five and a half foot deep hull. The whole thing runs off four Caterpillar 3412 diesel-powered fans.
"Monty" was going to transport supplies and ore for the Tulsequah Chief gold, zinc, copper, and lead mine. Sadly the company went bankrupt last year before the hovercraft was finished.
The new sellers are planning to bring "Monty" up to running order, but we do not yet know who the new owners are or what exactly they plan to do with their new hovering Goliath.
Phote Credit: Marcon International, Inc.