Goods originally stowed in empty boat (5)

I believe the answer is:

barge

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'empty boat' is the definition.
'barge' can be an answer for 'boat' (barge is a kind of boat). I am not certain of the 'empty' bit.

'goods originally stowed in' is the wordplay.
'originally' suggests taking the first letters.
'stowed' becomes 'bare' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
The first letter of 'goods' is 'g'.
'g' placed inside 'bare' is 'BARGE'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for barge that I've seen before include "Canal-boat" , "Canal boat, towed along (5)" , "Long, flat-bottomed boat" , "Push - boat" , "Freight-carrying boat" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.

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