Bay-Houston Towing Receives First Z-Tech Tug

Bay-Houston Towing Co. has taken delivery of the first of their innovative Z-Tech 7500 tugs. The Z-Tech 7500 design is the largest of the Robert Allan line of Z-Tech tugboats. The WESLEY A was delivered to Bay-Houston on Dec. 18, 2007 by her builder, Main Iron Works, of Houma, LA after extensive dock and sea trials at New Orleans.

The WESLEY A is only the second Z-Tech 7500 to be completed, and is also only the second Z-Tech to be built in the United States. The arrival of the WESLEY A brings to 16 the number of harbor tugs in Bay-Houston Towing Co.’s growing fleet. The WESLEY A’s principal dimensions are: Length, 98.5 ft., beam 39.3 ft., and a hull depth of 16.4 ft.

She is powered by two Caterpillar 3516C engines, which produce 3150 horsepower each for a total of 6300 horsepower. She is designed for a minimum bollard pull of 75 tonnes. The Caterpillar engines are mated to Model SRP-1520 Schottel drives. The WESLEY A is fully FiFi 1 compliant, with twin Caterpillar 3412 engines powering the fire pumps, each rated at 5300 gpm. Electrical power is provided by two John Deere gensets, each rated at 125 kw. The winch on the WESLEY A is a Markey Model #DYSF – 52 Escort Line Winch. The winch has an automatic render/recover mode, and will be equipped with an application specific Markey tension meter. The winch will have a brake capacity of 500,000 pounds. The WESLEY A will not be the only Z-Tech tugboat in Bay-Houston’s fleet for long. The first of the Z-Tech 7500’s ordered from Conrad’s Orange Shipbuilding yard, the LEXIE M is due to be delivered in April. The third of the series, the HUNTER M is due for delivery the following February. WESLEY A, LEXIE M, and HUNTER M are all named after members of the 5th generation of the same family, the Haden family. Bay-Houston Towing Co. traces its roots to Capt. W. D. Haden who founded the companies that make up Bay-Houston back in the 1880s. Bay-Houston Towing Co., provides ship docking services in the ports of Houston, Galveston, Texas City, Freeport, and Corpus Christi.