
Bushman Equipment Inc has enjoyed, since 2009, a partnership with Cochran Marine, LLC, a developer and integrator of a patented, shore-based, electric power system for cruise ship terminals. Bushman designs and builds special cable positioning devices (CPDs) to handle Cochran’s power systems.
One of the challenges that factors into the design is the weight of the power cables and plugs – nearly 2,000 pounds – that are needed to provide electricity to a massive cruise ship. 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.
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.
At Bushman Equipment, Inc creative engineering leads to innovative products like the cable positioning devices for Cochran. The company believes “If you can make it, we can move it.” In other words, Bushman’s versatility can help solve any material handling problem with a custom-engineered solution.