Gulf Fleet Marine Corporation, headquartered in New Orleans, recently took delivery of the Gulf Condor (shown above), a new 120-foot by 34-foot by 16-foot, 4,200-bhp class tug, built in Houma, La., by Quality Shipyards, Inc., another Gulf Fleet company.
The Gulf Condor is powered by twin GM EMD-12-645-E6 diesel engines through 5:1 Reintjes 1850 gears and is equipped with Kort nozzles. Its towing/anchor handling package consists of an Intercon DD 200 double drum winch with capacity of 2,500 feet of 2-inch cable on each drum, as well as an Intercon stern roller with hydraulic tow pins. The vessel is also equipped with an Intercon anchor windlass with a 750-pound anchor.
The vessel is capable of maximum speeds of 12 knots, and can sustain a bollard pull of 110,000 pounds. She is classed by the American Bureau of Shipping as + A-1, AMS, Full Oceans Towing Service, and has an International Load Line.
The Gulf Condor is the second of eight vessels to be delivered to Gulf Fleet during 1981; another 11 vessels are scheduled for delivery in 1982. Gulf Fleet owns and operates 105 offshore tugs, towing/supply vessels, supply vessels, deck barges, and utility vessels and provides, on a worldwide basis, a wide range of marine transportation services to the offshore petroleum and construction industries.
Gulf Fleet Marine is one of the Houston Natural Gas Corporation (HNG) group of companies. HNG's other lines of business include construction and repair of barges and towboats, inland waterways transportation, intrastate natural gas transmission, oil and gas exploration and production, coal mining and production, and the marketing of industrial, medical, and specialty gases.