G&H Towing is one of the oldest towing companies on the Texas Gulf Coast. Since 1934, G&H Towing has provided harbor ship escorts, docking and undocking services in the ports of Galveston, Houston, Texas City, Corpus Christi, and Freeport Texas on behalf of Bay Houston Towing and Suderman & Young Towing.
G&H Towing crews operate the most technologically advanced towing vessels in the industry today, and we are deeply committed to outstanding safety for our people, our equipment and the environment.
We take safety seriously and are committed to the health and wellbeing of every one of our people. We take pride in our outstanding safety and environmental performance, and we operate under the International Safety Management Code, American Bureau of Shipping, and American Waterway Operators Responsible Carrier Program.
G&H Towing Company has identified safety, security, and the environment as three key areas in its sphere of operations that are of paramount importance and need to be effectively controlled to prevent injuries, loss of life, and damage to health, property and degradation of the environment.
G&H Towing has been operating under an evolving Safety Management System (SMS) since 2005, with oversight from the American Bureau of Shipping and the American Waterways Operators Responsible Carrier Program. The key to the success of our Safety Management System (SMS) is commitment from senior management and a desire to continually improve our operations. By establishing a foundation of guidance and support for the personnel who conduct operations, management is serving the best interests of customers, employees, and the public.
We are committed to fostering a culture of safety through training, awareness, and action. By becoming knowledgeable in safety management and taking appropriate actions to avoid accidents, employees reduce risk and exceed customer expectations.
Subchapter M
Our fleet is governed by the Coast Guard’s Subchapter M Federal regulations, with our entire fleet issued Certificates of Inspection (COIs) from the USCG. Prior to the new Subchapter M regulations, G&H Towing was voluntarily compliant with progressive Safety Management System (SMS) standards, leading to a seamless transition to the new Federal regulations.
G&H Towing crews work on some of the most technologically advanced towing vessels in the industry with more than half of our fleet comprised of modern tractor tugs, including Z-Tech® Tractor tugs.
As containerships and tankers calling on U.S. ports are getting bigger, there is an increased need for larger tugs capable of safely escorting these massive ships. The powerful ABS Class and Load Line certified tugs offer an impressive towing capability, combined with efficient omni-directional maneuverability. In addition, the advanced design of a Z-Tech® tug allows for greater stability of the vessel, which means improved working conditions and safety.
Suderman & Young Towing Company and Bay-Houston Towing Company were some of the companies that pioneered the use of Z-Tech®, with the addition of the following to the fleet:
6 Rapport® 2600 Tugs (ABS Low Emissions Vessel – 4,436 HP, 50 Metric Tonne BP)
2 Z-Tech® 30-80 Tugs G3 (ABS Low Emissions Vessel – 6,772 HP, 80 Metric Tonne BP)
4 Z-Tech® 30-80 Tugs G2 (ABS Low Emissions Vessel – 6,772 HP, 80 Metric Tonne BP)
4 Z-Tech® 30-80 Tugs G1 (ABS Low Emissions Vessel – 6,772 HP, 80 Metric Tonne BP)
6 Z-Tech® 30-75 Tugs (2007-2009) (6,300 HP, 75 Metric Tonne BP)
10 Z-Tech® 24-60 Tugs (2013-2016) (5,150 HP, 60 Metric Tonne BP)
2 Azimuth Stern Drive Tugs (2000) (4,300 HP, 50 Metric Tonne BP)
The G&H Towing fleet:
- is the 3rd largest harbor assist tug fleet, as well as the youngest of any major fleet in the United States (Average age of fleet overall – 15.2 years)
- 51 tugs total in fleet – 42 operating daily
- 18 tugs (approximately 35% of the fleet) have an ABS Low Emissions Vessel Notation
- 39 tugs (approximately 76% of the fleet) are tractor tugs
