Bushman AvonTec, Butler, Wis., recently partnered with Cochran, Inc., a developer and integrator of a patent pending, shore-based, electric power system for cruise ship terminals. Bushman AvonTec designed and built special concrete sleeve mounted cable positioning devices (CPDs) to handle Cochran’s power systems. Now, instead of running their engines and spewing diesel engine exhaust gasses while at a port-of-call, cruise ships can plug into a clean, shore-based power supply and turn their engines completely off. One of the challenges that factored into the design was the weight of the power cables and plugs—nearly 2,000 pounds. In addition to lifting, the device must also swing the plugs out to the ship’s shore power hatch. Once the cables are secured to the ship, the CPD’s hoist raises or lowers them as the vessel’s elevation changes with the tide swings.
Lift & Access is part of the Catalyst Communications Network publication family.
