VESSEL REVIEW | Endeavor – Fisheries enforcement boat joins Maine Marine Patrol Fleet

The Maine Marine Patrol, the enforcement arm of the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR), has added a new patrol boat to its fleet of nearly two dozen vessels.

Named Endeavor, the vessel was built by Farrin’s Boat Shop in Walpole, Maine. The boat utilised a hull developed by Calvin Beal Boats, a local company with years of experience in serving the state’s pleasure craft and fishing vessel industries. This resulted in the newbuild’s appearance being similar in many respects to those of the lobster boats that operate in those same waters.

The new boat, which will be homeported in West Boothbay, was acquired with funding supplied as part of an agreement between the DMR and the National Marine Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). With a length of 42 feet (12.8 metres), a beam of 15 feet (4.5 metres), and a draught of 4.1 feet (1.2 metres), the newbuild will replace the Marine Patrol’s Monitor, a 22-year-old, 35-foot (10.6-metre) Young Brothers boat that was damaged by an electrical fire in 2019.

The newer, larger vessel will provide a safer and more stable platform for Marine Patrol officers while hauling and inspecting lobster gear in both nearshore and offshore locations, thanks to its shallow draught and excellent seakeeping ability. The deck equipment includes a winch for hauling lobster traps to allow officers to safely conduct inspections of gear without leaving the relative safety of the boat.

Endeavor also has a Garmin radar and deck space for accommodating a 14-foot (4.2-metre) rigid inflatable boat (RIB) that can be used for at-sea boardings of fishing vessels during inspections. The RIB will also augment Endeavor‘s search and rescue capability, a vital attribute along the busy stretch of coastline that comprises the patrol boat’s main area of operations between the towns of Bremen and Freeport.

Power for the new boat is provided by a MAN V8 US EPA Tier III-compliant diesel engine with a rated output of 800 hp (596 kW). The engine is connected to a ZF 500-1A gearbox driving a ZF left-hand, four-bladed propeller. This configuration enables the boat to sail at a cruising speed of just over 25 knots.

The vessel’s wheelhouse accommodations consist of a crew cabin with a queen-sized berth, a wet locker, a head, and a small galley with adequate space for a refrigerator and a microwave oven.

See all the other news, reviews and features of this month’s Maritime Security Week right here.