Marine, Boat Building & Shipyard Cleaning Equipment — V-TUF

Industrial cleaning equipment for the marine, boat building and shipyard sector

V-TUF supplies H-Class and M-Class dust extractors, hot-water pressure washers, stainless cleaning systems, ATEX-rated vacuums and heavy-duty industrial vacuums to shipyards, boat builders, marine refit yards, superyacht facilities, commercial vessel operators, ferry operators and the offshore marine industry across the UK.

The UK’s marine and boat building industry is concentrated in the South Coast ports — Southampton, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Falmouth — and at Hull, Belfast and the Scottish yards at Rosyth and Govan.

Dealing with carbon fibre, GRP or asbestos dust? COSHH guidance → Working in an ATEX or confined space environment? DSEAR & ATEX guidance →

COSHH in marine and boat building environments

Carbon fibre composite (CFRP) — H-Class required

H-Class extraction (H14 HEPA, 99.995%) is required for all CFRP machining, trimming and surface preparation operations. Carbon fibre dust and COSHH: what extraction is required? →

GRP (glass-reinforced plastic) — M-Class minimum, H-Class for fine dust

M-Class is the minimum specification for GRP operations; H-Class is required where fine glass fibre dust is generated in enclosed spaces or at sustained high volumes.

Asbestos in older vessels — H-Class mandatory

All work near suspected ACMs requires H-Class extraction with HEPA-certified filter disposal. Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 →

Antifouling and paint compounds — H-Class and ATEX

Solvent vapour from antifouling and topcoat application creates explosive atmosphere risks requiring ATEX-rated equipment under DSEAR 2002.

Steel grit and metallic dust — M-Class minimum

M-Class extraction is the minimum specification; H-Class where hazardous metallic compounds are present.

Recommended V-TUF equipment for marine environments

Marine sector applications

Superyacht building and refit

H-Class for all composites operations; M-Class for general joinery and outfitting. MAMMOTH 240V Stainless for bilge and systems cleaning. ATEX vacuums for spray booth and varnish application areas.

Commercial ferry and vessel maintenance

Maintenance and refit programmes on pre-2000 vessels frequently encounter ACMs, requiring H-Class extraction and full Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 compliance.

Naval and defence shipyards

Babcock International at Devonport and Rosyth, BAE Systems at Portsmouth and Govan. H-Class, ATEX and confined space equipment are all active requirements across naval maintenance programmes.