Mr. Ruben, constructed at Main Iron Works, is the 10th tugboat that the Houma, La., yard has delivered to Bisso Towboat of New Orleans. The last six, including the newest vessel, have been equipped with z-drive propulsion.
The boat’s namesake, Ruben Dupre Jr., joined Bisso Towboat in 1981 as marine superintendent and yard foreman, rising to vice president of engineering. Company President Scott Slatten explained that Dupre, now semiretired and acting as a consultant and supervisor of new construction, was integral to the growth and modernization of the Bisso Towboat fleet.
“He and I were the ones who put our necks on the line back in 1997 when we convinced our president at the time, my father, Capt. Billy Slatten, to build the first ASD tractor tug for use on the river,” Slatten said. “I’ll never forget when he told us both, ‘If these z-drives don’t work out on the river, you’re both gonna be looking for a job.’”
In 1999, Bisso Towboat took delivery of the 100-foot Cecilia B. Slatten from Main Iron Works, beginning the era of z-drive tugs working on the Mississippi River.
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