Stuart Stafford, Head of Cavotec Scotland

We are expanding our presence at the heart of the UK’s offshore energy sector, with the establishment of a satellite office in Aberdeen, on the east coast of Scotland.

Offshore industry expert, Stuart Stafford, heads Cavotec’s Scotland operations. Stafford has considerable experience in the offshore sector, having worked as a Business Development Projects Manager, a Project Manager at Nautronix Plc., a Key Account Manager at J&S Marine and a Project Engineering Manager at Aker Kvaerner Subsea Ltd.

We welcome the Scotland operations to the Group!

Clouds. Sun. Biofuel. Chocolate?

photo credit: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

This blog has explored a number of alternative forms of fuel and power. But this is the first time chocolate has been involved.

ScienceDaily wrote about the world’s first sustainable race car last month. The car is made from woven flax, recycled carbon fibre, recycled resin and carrot pulp for the steering wheel. It runs on biofuel made from chocolate and animal fats and is lubricated with plant oils.

However, the Formula 3 race car is not just an environmentally friendly car, it is also fast.The car has a top speed of 135 mph, can achieve 0-60 in 2.5 seconds and is turbo charged to give it more torque.

Fast, eco-friendly and chocolate-powered – what’s next?

Following the announcement of our major order with Chinese industrial equipment specialist Dalian Huarui to supply Brazilian mining group Vale with advanced cable reel systems for stacker and reclaimers, India-based steel publication, Steel Guru, wrote an excellant summary of the deal.

Read the piece in full here.

This July, Cavotec Norway won a contract to deliver radio remote controls for control of two dumper trucks, two excavators and one bulldozer. The machinery is being used to clear a 165 square km combat training range in central Norway, land that was used for many years by NATO, along with the Norwegian army and air force.

The clearing project will replace damaged areas with trees and grass.  The estimated end for clearing the explosives is 2012, with all re-vegetation work to be finished by 2020.  Not only does the project provide a unique, sustainable reference in the RRC market, but it proves that we can deliver a solution for the control of heavy machinery a long distance.

In order to protect personnel when performing the work, the dumpers and diggers are controlled from a steel booth 2 – 3 kms away (compared to competitor’s 600 m control distance). Each vehicle can be controlled either from a standard MC-3300 terminal (short distance control) or from a control chair equipped with joysticks, a radio system and  a video system, so the operator can see how to control the machine.

See the clip below – narrated in Norwegian – to see Cavotec’s long distance control in action.

Click through to watch video clip.

Cargo ship, © NORDCAPITAL

We recently applauded the airline industry as the first to take a united stand in cutting emissions.  In our business, one of our next thoughts was – what about the shipping industry?

The International Chamber of Shipping cites international shipping as “by far, the most carbon efficient mode of commercial transport – some 30 times more efficient than cargo aviation.”  However efficient it may be, shipping still produces 3 per cent of world carbon dioxide emissions.

A related Financial Times article said the the UK government would be “pressing for both shipping and aviation to be included in an international scheme [to decrease carbon emissions] and that the industries should lead the debate because otherwise others would do so for them.”

This last point resonates on several levels.  Firstly, as a company with a heritage of innovative efficiency (for example, read here or here) we help shape all industries in which we work.  Ultimately, we hope to see both the airline and shipping industry become cleaner and more effective.  While in the past, efforts to combat global warming tended to be based on geographic boundaries, these recent pledges suggest that industry is taking a more supranational approach.

We look forward to seeing other industrys follow suit.

Perhaps you read about our first half results on the blog, or on our website.  If you have yet to do so, you can now read a summary on the World Cargo News site.  It’s always a pleasure seeing respectable industry publications follow our corporate progress.