One of the tugs seen in Malta during the Blue Fin Tuna (BFT) Season was the 1972 built tugboat THOR.
Berthed at Dwq 3 for mobilising back to 10th May 2007.
She was built by Handel- en Scheepsbouw Mij. Kramer & De Booy NV” at Kootstertille, Netherlands as Yard No 174 with keel laid on 1st December 1971 as GARANT for the German Hamburg based Lutgens & Reimers homeported also at Hamburg with call sign as DGLR. 10 years later she was chartered to URAG – Unterweser Reederei AG and renamed BERNE of which in 1983 she returned to the original owners and renamed again GARANT. In July 1985 she was sold to Ocean Shipping Bunker & Barges SpA at Trieste, Italy and, renamed THOR homeported in Trieste (ITA Flag) with call sign as ICWJ and 48 tons bollard pull.
First time she was seen in Malta was back to 29th October, 2004 where she entered Grand Harbour towing the 1979 built deck cargo barge P 6 owned by the same company –
On the 23rd October, 2007 she sank while berthed at Trieste of which later on the heavy lift vessel STORMAN ASIA was used to raise her. In September 2008 she was spotted at Perama, Piraeus refitting and was renamed AGIOS NEKTARIOS until 2013 for Diavlos Maritime Co.
She was sold again and renamed DEMOCRITO until 2019 where she was sold in Tunisia and renamed as HADJ HAMED.
Watermarked Photos are by Capt. Lawrence Dalli otherwise stated. Do not use these images without my permission. © All rights reserved. Malta Ship Photos & Action Photos – www.maltashipphotos.com
Published – Wednesday 23rd December, 2020