Cavotec radio remote controls embark on Antarctic mission

Cavotec radio remote controls (RRC) are often used in some of the harshest environments in the world. Now, one of our RRC units is headed to the Antartic, where it will be used to operate a specialised Vestdavit crane that launches and recovers a survey vessel.

Our RRC unit is used to control a PMC Servi electrohydraulic mechanism on the davit crane. The system was installed on the UK Royal Navy survey vessel HMS Protector, during a recent refit at the Norwegian port of Bergen. The davit safely launches and recovers the 10-ton survey launch James Caird VI in sea state five and extreme cold. This short film, shot by Vestdavit, shows the system in action.

HMS Protector will deploy the survey boat to obtain hydrographic imagery of the Antarctic region. The ship will also assist with the re-supply of British Antarctic Survey stations in the region.

Cavotec has worked on this niche application in close collaboration with Norway's PMC Servi, a specialist supplier of motion control technologies; and Vestdavit, the world's leading provider of efficient and innovative boat-handling systems.