The freezer longliner Clipper Endeavor has arrived at the Maritime Industrial Center in Seattle for a comprehensive shipyard period, marking the end of a productive 2025 fishing season. As part of Bristol Wave Seafoods’ regular two-year maintenance schedule, the 129'x30' vessel is undergoing significant mechanical upgrades, safety inspections, and drydock repairs to ensure peak performance and compliance heading into 2026.

The shipyard period, which began Oct. 2 and is scheduled to conclude by Dec. 22, will feature a full repower of the vessel’s auxiliary engines. Both existing units will be replaced with keel-cooled Cummins Bobtail engines. The upgrade eliminates the need for seawater pumps and heat exchangers by using external cooling tubes mounted below the waterline, improving engine efficiency and reducing maintenance demands.

The auxiliary engine replacement marks a key investment in vessel performance and may signal future upgrades across the Bristol Wave fleet, according to the company.

Refrigeration systems are also being overhauled. In collaboration with local vendor Teknotherm, both Mycom ammonia compressors are being rebuilt to original factory specifications. These compressors are essential for the ship’s onboard freezing operations, which support its frozen-at-sea product line.

The Clipper Endeavor entered drydock on Oct. 20 for hull cleaning, sandblasting, welding, repainting, and the installation of new zinc anodes. Draft marks will also be added to the hull for the first time, providing visual indicators of vessel load for improved stability monitoring.

As part of its safety protocol, the vessel will undergo a full five-year inspection under the U.S. Coast Guard’s Alternative Compliance and Safety Agreement (ACSA) Program. This includes inspections of eleven tanks, testing of shutdown procedures and high-water alarms, and a full review of all lifesaving and safety equipment.

Following the completion of all work, the Clipper Endeavor is scheduled to depart Seattle by Jan. 1, 2026, to begin transit to Dutch Harbor, Alaska. The vessel is expected to resume fishing operations for the A Season with a crew of 16, including a captain, mate, engineer, cook, and 12 crew members.

Built at Eastern Marine Ship Building in Panama City, Fla., in 1981, the vessel was converted to a freezer longliner in Seattle in 1989. It has been an ACSA Program inspected vessel since 2007.