(TEXAS CITY, Texas) — In April, the very large crude carrier (VLCC) Nave Quasar arrived at the Enterprise Products Partners (EPP) terminal in Texas City. This ship is the largest to ever enter the ship channel and is a test of future VLCC oil shipments. Nave Quasar was assisted to the berth by a flotilla of Suderman & Young Towing Co. Z-Tech tugs, two Z-Tech 30-75 tugs (Thor and Lamar) and three Z-Tech 24-60 escort tugs (Neptune, Oceanus and Poseidon), operated by G&H Towing of Galveston Texas. The five Z-Tech tugs have a combined bollard pull of 330 tonnes.
The relationship between G&H Towing and Robert Allan Ltd. (RAL) started in 2004, with design and construction of the first two Z-Tech 30-75 tugs, which where the first in the U.S. and for G & H Towing. Since that date, the G&H Towing fleet of Z-Tech tugs has grown to 18 in operation and will soon grow to 26 with the introduction of the new series of Z-Tech 30-80 series starting late 2018. This will make G&H Towing the largest operator of Z-Tech series tugs in the world.
All of the G&H Towing Z-Techs have been an evolution of the original design built in 2004, with similar layouts but with advancement and refinement of the design in each build series. The latest Z-Tech 30-80s have sponsoned hulls with full escort tug capability, 80-plus tonnes of bollard pull, EPA Tier 4 emission compliance, and are fitted with a render/recover winch.
For more information on any of the Z-Tech series, or on any other high-performance vessel designs developed by Robert Allan Ltd., contact design@ral.ca.
