Bay Towing, Houston, has contracted Sterling Shipyard LLC, Port Neches, Texas, to construct a new escort tugboat for operations in the Sabine-Neches Waterway, the company announced.
Measuring 98.5'x42.6' with a 19.5' draft, the newbuild will be a Robert Allan Ltd.-designed Z-Tech 30-85 azimuth stern drive tug that incorporates design elements from Robert Allan's RAstar series. The hullform features sponsons added to enhance escort capability over the earlier Z-Tech 30-80 class.
Propulsion will come from a pair of Caterpillar 3516-E HD Tier 4 EPA-compliant diesels driving two Schottel SRP-510FP azimuth drives. The tug's 7,000-hp plant is rated to produce more than 93 short tons of bollard pull.
"The tug's large bollard pull and proven escort performance make it perfectly suited to handle the largest and deepest vessels calling the Sabine-Neches Waterway," Bay Towing said in a press release.
The vessel's deck machinery package will include a forward escort winch with render-and-recovery capability and continuous tension monitoring, spooled with 750' of 10" circumference HMPE synthetic line. Electrical power will be supplied by two Caterpillar C7.1 industrial diesel engines, each rated for continuous operation at 125 kW.
The vessel will carry the following ABS classification notations: ✠ A1 Towing Vessel, Escort Vessel, Fire Fighting Vessel Class 1 (FFV1), Low Emission Vessel (LEV US), and ✠ AMS.
"The addition of the Z-Tech 30-85 will be yet another exciting and important milestone for Bay Towing, further demonstrating our commitment to adapt to the evolving needs of our customers and the unique waterways that we serve," Justin Knight, commercial director at Bay Towing, said in a statement. "As our channels get deeper and ship tonnage increases, we will be ready to meet the demands of the industry. The power, reliability, and maneuverability of the Robert Allan design will take us firmly into the next chapter of our operations."
