Business Sectors
Business Sectors
Events
Contents
Register to read more articles.
Suderman and Young Towing outlines long-term growth strategies
Suderman & Young Towing is expanding in its core markets and modernising its fleet with low emissions, newbuild harbour tugs as it prepares for the opening of new port terminals in the US
Houston-Texas-headquartered owner, Suderman & Young Towing, is introducing tugboat operations in harbours in Brownsville and Isabel, in Texas close to the Mexican border, as it extends its fleet and support services.
It is already benefitting from higher vessel activity levels along the US Gulf Coast and increasing energy exports from the region, as Suderman & Young also operates tugs in Aransas Pass, Corpus Christi, Freeport, Galveston, Houston and Texas City with a fleet of more than 20 tugboats.
“We maintain a modern fleet of Z-drive tugs positioned throughout the US Gulf Coast,” said Suderman & Young Towing chief commercial officer, Captain Jay Rivera.
“We have strategically positioned our assets based on the vessel types, infrastructure and operating requirements of each port,” he said.
The port facilities in Houston, Galveston, Texas City and Freeport serve a diverse mix of tankers, bulk carriers and container ships, while Corpus Christi and Aransas Pass require assets capable of assisting very large crude carriers.
“In Brownsville and Port Isabel, our fleet is positioned to support the growing steel trade and other developing maritime activity in South Texas,” Capt Rivera said.
“Our goal is to match the capabilities of each tug to the needs of the port, ensuring the right equipment is in the right place to serve our customers safely and efficiently,” he told International Tug & Salvage.
Suderman & Young tugs will support vessels operating in and around the Brownsville Ship Channel and Port Isabel, providing ship escort, towage and assistance, supported by experienced crews and well-maintained tugboats.
“We are putting the right tug, with the right capabilities, in the right port”
“As vessels become larger, new terminals are developed and trade patterns change, we continually evaluate where additional capacity and capability are needed,” said Capt Rivera.
“Our recent expansion into Brownsville and Port Isabel is an example of that approach. As those markets develop, and as our established ports continue to grow, we will position and invest in assets that best match the vessels and operations we are being asked to serve,” he continued. “Our fleet strategy is ultimately driven by the market. We are putting the right tug, with the right capabilities, in the right port.”
Texas-based Sterling Shipyard and Coden, Alabama-headquartered Master Boat Builders are building diesel-fuelled tugs with propulsion compliant to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Tier 4 emissions standards for Suderman & Young.
“Our continuous investment in new, enhanced Z-drive tugs is part of our long-term fleet renewal and growth strategy,” said Capt Rivera.
“New deliveries are planned over the next several years and will be positioned based on the evolving needs of the ports we serve,” he said. “We are adding capacity where it is needed while continuing to modernise the fleet across our area of operations.”
Deployment decisions will be driven by vessel traffic, owner and terminal requirements and the operating needs of each port.
US Gulf ports will continue to grow, vessels will continue to evolve, and technology will change how the company and fleet operates.
“Our job is to evolve with them, by investing in our people, our fleet and the technology necessary to safely and reliably serve the next generation of maritime commerce,” Capt Rivera commented.
“Our goal is to ensure that Suderman & Young continues to be a company our employees are proud to work for, our customers can depend on, and the next generation is prepared to carry forward,” he added.
Suderman & Young is investing in its people, fleet and new technology while continuing to provide safe, reliable ship-assist and escort services.
It collaborates with its vessel operator, G&H Towing, in the Gulf LNG Services joint venture, and with port employees, pilots, terminals, line handlers, vessel agents and ship operators.
“Generations of experience in US Gulf ports have enabled us to build strong working relationships throughout these communities, combining experienced mariners and capable equipment with the co-operation required to keep maritime commerce moving,” said Capt Rivera.
Fleet expansion
In Q3 2026, Master Boat Builders launched Titan, the third H500 tug of a series of escort tugs it is building for Suderman & Young to ABS class and to Robert Allan Ltd’s RApport 3000 design. Another 30-m H500 tug, Saturn, was delivered to the owner in Q2 2026.
Each tug has accommodation for six crew members, a beam of 13 m, a bollard pull of more than 90 tonnes, and a top speed of 13 knots, a FiFi1 firefighting system and tankage for more than 44,300 gallons of fuel oil.
Propulsion consists of two four-stroke, Tier 4-compliant diesel engines with a combined power of 5,220 kW, driving two Steerprop azimuth thrusters. Suderman & Young describes these newbuild tractor tugs as Z-Tech 30-85 series vessels that are similar to 2024-built Artemis.
The owner also has two 32-m tugs being built by Sterling Shipyard to Robert Allan’s RAstar 3200-W design and with 6,260 kW of installed power for delivery in 2027.
All these tugs will have four-stroke, high-speed diesel engines connected to selective catalytic reduction units to lower NOx from their exhaust, and Tier 4 compliance.
Similar onboard systems were installed on Suderman & Young’s 2023-built RAport 2600 design tugs, Aurora, Brizo and Eva, and five Z-Tech tractor 30-80-class tugs delivered in 2019 and 2020 – Apollo, Gemini, Mazu, Mercury and Ted C Litton.
Suderman & Young also owns three Z-Tech 30-75 tractor tugs – 2008-built Evelena, 2009-built Lamar and 2007-built Thor – and five Z-Tech 24-60 tractor tugs – 2016-built Neptune, Oceanus and Poseidon, 2015-built Triton and 2014-built Zeus – plus 2025-repowered, 2001-built Jess Newton, 2004-built tractor tug Denia, and six twin-screw conventional tugboats built from 1977 to 1999.
Training and digitalisation
Suderman & Young is investing in its seafarers alongside its fleet growth to ensure it has sufficient crews for these new tugs. It is also focusing on improving the living conditions on its vessels to support crew wellbeing and retention.
“We are investing heavily in both the competency and quality of life of our mariners,” said Capt Rivera.
“Simulator training enables our crews to practice vessel handling and complex ship-assist scenarios in a controlled environment, complementing the experience they gain aboard our tugs every day,” he explained.
Its new tugs incorporate extensive sound dampening to reduce noise and vibration in living spaces and amenities seafarers need to be comfortable while aboard.
“Crew comfort is important. Our goal is for the accommodations to feel more like home than a traditional workboat,” said Capt Rivera.
“We believe providing a safe, comfortable environment where mariners can properly rest and recharge ultimately results in better crews and safer operations,” he said.
“We are investing in systems that better connect the operational data generated by our tugs with the services we provide”
The company is also using software and artificial intelligence (AI) in its fleet management and has upgraded connectivity to its vessels to enhance planning and network operations.
“We see using digital technology and AI as opportunities to provide greater visibility to both our team and our customers,” Capt Rivera said.
“We are investing in systems that better connect the operational data generated by our tugs with the services we provide,” he said.
As digitalisation and AI evolve, more services and information will be available from the company to its clients to raise the value of its support in US ports.
“Ultimately, we would like our customers to receive more than just a bill,” explained Capt Rivera.
“We want them to be able to digitally see how the job was performed – when the tugs arrived, how they were utilised, how the vessel movement progressed and the services that were provided,” he added.
“AI and better data analytics can help us turn operational information into something more useful and transparent, while also helping us improve fleet utilisation, planning and decision-making,” Capt Rivera said.
Connect with the international tug community at TUGTECHNOLOGY ‘27, the industry’s premier technical gathering, taking place in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on 19-20 May 2027. Join tug owners, operators, builders, designers and technology providers for two days of industry insight, knowledge sharing and valuable networking. Find out more here.
Related to this Story
Events
Maritime Regulations Webinar Week
16 Dec 2025
GMT - ONLINE
Floating energy: successfully unlocking stranded gas using FLNGs and FSRUs
24 Feb 2026GMT - ONLINE
© 2026 Riviera Maritime Media Ltd.
