Also in the news 22 July 2026
- Northwards invests in insulated trailers
- HyImpulse confident in SaxaVord launch this year
- Ocean Kinetics offers new apprenticeship
- Wildlife writer’s new book on sheep
NORTHWARDS is in the process of investing £640,000 in additional insulated trailers to meet growing demand for salmon exports from Shetland.
The haulage company will take delivery of eight trailers this year, followed by a rolling replacement programme of four trailers annually.
The ‘insuliner’ design was first pioneered by Northwards to enable temperature-controlled fish to be transported from Shetland.
On the return journey, the trailers can accommodate a range of other freight items that can be side-loaded, rather than being restricted to the rear doors of conventional refrigerated trailers.
Northwards’ commercial director Neil Leslie said: “The Advancer A400 fridge units, supplied by Thermo King Northern, keep the fish chilled using a more efficient and environmentally friendly refrigeration motor.”
The investment comes as Northwards’ salmon farming and processing customer in Shetland, Scottish Sea Farms, increases its capacity and production levels.
ROCKET developer HyImpulse has confirmed it is still confident it will launch its SR75 rocket from SaxaVord later this year and reach space.
In a LinkedIn update the German developer said that following a first test flight in 2024, when the rocket reached a height of around 30 miles – or 50 kilometres – the aim now is to reach 100 kilometres.
The company could be the second to launch from the SaxaVord Space Centre this year. Currently Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) is scheduled to carry out a first horizontal launch from UK soil during a five week long window starting on 10 August.
HyImpulse said the ultimate aim was to be able to take satellites into the low earth orbit from 2017, thereby tapping into the booming satellite launch market.
OCEAN Kinetics has created a new “in-house apprenticeship” that offers young people the chance to build a career across some of the industry’s most highly specialised disciplines.
The marine engineering company said the apprenticeship has been designed to develop the next generation of skilled marine professionals through a combination of nationally recognised qualifications and extensive hands-on experience.
Ocean Kinetics commercial manager Shane Jamieson said: “This is far more than a traditional apprenticeship. It offers an exceptional opportunity for someone who wants to build a long-term career in the marine industry and experience a breadth of specialist disciplines that very few employers can offer.”
The successful apprentice will work alongside Ocean Kinetics’ experienced engineers, welders, fabricators, vessel crews and commercial divers, becoming an integral part of the marine team.
More information about the opportunity can be found here.
‘WHY sheep matter’ is the theme running through field naturalist and wildlife writer Polly Pullar’s latest book.
Fascinated by sheep since childhood, the author has been travelling around Britain – from Dartmoor to Shetland – to hear from shepherds, crofters and farmer about their flocks and why they are the backbone of a way of rural life.
Described by publisher Birlinn as a love letter to sheep and a passionate defence of their role, Pullar makes the case that despite debates about ecological damage caused by overgrazing, it is possible to restore habitat alongside an animal that has played a key part in rural life for many years.
In the Company of Sheep is going to be published at the start of September, priced at £12.99.
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