The 1971 built Dutch tug BEVER, owned by Van Oord ACX of Andijk, was photographed at Heysham on 24th May 1996. She was possibly employed on work with the Morecambe gas field.

BEVER subsequently moved to the North Sea but sadly capsized and sank on 11 November 1986 off Norfolk with the loss of her skipper.

I am told that she was trying to assist the SVETLOMOR-1, a Russian anchor-handler, which was trying to leave with a barge in tow but was struggling to get away and ran her over.

BEVER was salvaged and taken to Rotterdam, where she arrived 30th November 1996 to be stretched, repaired and given a new engine.

BEVER was sold in 2001 to Bennett of London, now Foster Yeoman, and I am told is kept busy pulling barges on the River Thames.