Suderman & Young Towing Company takes delivery of new tug, Ted C. Litton

March 2019

In March 2019, Suderman & Young Towing Company took delivery of the Z-Tech® 30-80 tug Ted C. Litton constructed by Gulf Island Shipyards. This is the first of five Z-Tech® 30-80 tugs ordered by Suderman & Young. These tugs will be operated in ports on the Texas Gulf Coast. The tug, Ted C. Litton, evolved from the previous Z-Tech® 7500 series owned by Suderman & Young and designed by Robert Allan Ltd, a naval architect based in Vancouver, Canada. A main feature of the latest Z-Tech® is an incorporation of a sponsoned hull form into the existing Z-Tech design. Computer simulations conducted by Robert Allan Ltd.’s in house CFD team demonstrate escort performance will be significantly increased by generating more than 100 mt steering force at 10 knots, an important aspect for escorting large vessels.

Particulars of Ted C. Litton are:

Beam, moulded: 42’-8”
Depth, moulded: 16’-5”
Gross Tonnage:
- ITC: 411
- US Regulatory: 297

The tugs were designed and constructed to comply with all applicable Rules and Regulations of:

ABS *A1 Towing Service, * AMS, Escort Service, Fire Fighting Vessel Class 1 and all applicable U.S. Coast Guard regulations

Tank capacities are as follows:

Fuel oil: 42620 GAL
Potable water: 6700 GAL

Sea trial results showed Ted C. Litton met all requirements to the design:

Bollard pull, ahead: 84.5 MT
Free running speed, ahead: 13 Knots

Customized general layout of the tug represents more than a decade of design refinement. The Master and Chief Engineer’s cabin along with galley and mess are located on the main deck while two cabins for four crew members are located on the lower deck.

Main propulsion for the tug comprises a pair of Caterpillar 3516E, EPA Tier 4 certified diesel engines, each rated 3386 bHP at 1800 rpm, and driving a Schottel SRP 510FP Z-drive unit with Ø2800 propeller. The tug is fitted with a Fire Fighting 1 system with two FFS 6200 gpm pumps driven by two Caterpillar engine C18 respectively.

The electrical plant consists of two identical John Deere 6068AFM85 diesel gen-sets, each with a power output of 125 eKw 480V, 3-Ph, 60 Hz.

Ship-handling fenders at the bow consist of one tier of 36” OD x 18” ID cylindrical fender at the main deck level with 16” thick double loop soft fenders between the main deck and the knuckle at bow and along the sheer lines of main deck. 16” OD x 8” ID cylindrical fendering is used at the stern.

For more information on Suderman & Young Towing Company, please contact ops@sandy-tugs.com