When APC Corporation of Bridgewater, Massachusetts, gets the call to vacuum out mussels and shells from power plant intake pipes, the company puts to use its custom-made dump containers. Specializing in all sorts of industrial vacuum loading and vacuum excavation, the variety of containers is critical to the company’s success.

“We do a lot of vacuuming of shells at power plants with their intake pipes, and the trucks suck in a lot of water,” says APC owner Mike Flaherty. “To handle all that water, we have dewatering containers. There are perforations inside the regular containers so the water will all go back into the ocean, leaving behind the mussels and shells.”

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Here's a look at APC's custom rig, which the company uses to vacuum shells at power plants.

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It wasn’t always that easy. Until about 15 years ago, APC used ordinary dump containers and then had to vacuum out the water. “It just wasn’t working out real well.”

The company has numerous containers (Wastequip) and roll-off trucks built by Beam Truck & Body. The seven GMC crew cab diesel pickup trucks are equipped with tools the crew might need — shovels, boots and other gear.

“Over the 40-some years we’ve been in business, I’ve tried to buy equipment so that we don’t have to rely on other people,” Flaherty says. “I like to control the job from the phone call to the end.”