OCTOBER 2, 2013 — Bay-Houston Towing Co. has taken delivery of the first Z Tech 2400 tugboat, the Chloe K, from Leevac Shipyards LLC of Jennings, LA.

Chloe K

The Robert Allan designed Z Tech 2400 tugs are a smaller version of the Z Tech 7500 tugs that are already in Bay-Houston's fleet.

The Chloe K is 80 feet long, with a 38 foot beam, and a working draft of 16 feet.

While they are smaller, the 2400 series vessels they have enormous power for their size.

Like their larger cousins, they offer all the advantages of the Z Tech design:

The forward deck (over the skeg) has a low, flat sheer, creating a spacious, relatively flat and safe working deck, without any obstructive anchor chains, etc.

For "sea-going" operations, the Z-Tech tug works astern in tractor mode, so the shape of this part of the hull is more rounded in plan than would typically be seen in an ASD design. There is no appreciable loss of speed in this direction of operation. The increased flare and freeboard at the "aft" end is simply to ensure a drier operation when towing in this direction.

Only one winch is required for both harbor and coastal towing operations. When towing long distances, the Z-Tech will simply tow in tractor mode going "astern."

The low sheer forward, coupled with the aft bias of the deckhouse and wheelhouse enable the Z-Tech design to work under large overhanging ship flares.

While the 7500 series Z Techs, are primarily used at LNG terminals, with large tankers, and with post-Panamax containerships, the 2400 series will be capable of operating in the waters of all of the ports serviced by Bay Houston, including the confined quarters of the Houston Ship Channel.

Bay-Houston also provides tug service in Galveston, Texas City, Freeport, and Corpus Christi

The Chloe K is 80 feet long, with a 38 foot beam, and a working draft of 16 feet. She is powered by two of Caterpillar's 3516C HD high power engines, delivering 2,575 horsepower each. The Caterpillar engines are mated to Model SRP-1215 Schottel drives, driving 94 inch (2,400 mm) stainless steel propellers.

At 5,150 hp, the 2400 series tugs will be capable of docking even the largest vessels calling on the Texas coast.

The vessel is designed to produce a minimum of 60 metric tonnes of bollard pull.

Markey Machinery Company Inc. provided the bow winch, a Model #DEPCF-48S Escort Line Winch. The winch has an automatic render/recover mode and is equipped with an application specific Markey tension meter. The winch has a brake capacity of 330,000 pounds.

Electrical power is provided by two John Deere 6068TFM76-ABS-T2 gensets, each rated at 99 kW.

Bay-Houston Towing Co. is one of the oldest continuously operating companies in Texas. Its roots date to the 1880's when Capt. W D. Haden began dredging for oysters on Galveston Bay. The same family has owned Bay-Houston Towing Co. for six generations. The Chloe K is named after a member of the sixth generation of the Haden family. Bay-Houston Towing Co. predates the Houston Ship Channel by some thirty years, and is believed to be the oldest continuously operating vendor in the Port of Corpus Christi, having placed the first tug in Corpus Christi in 1926, a year before the port opened.