Altro goes on the attack over PVC flooring

A UK manufacturer believes there is a conspiracy of silence over the potential harm of using PVC flooring on passenger vessels

UK-based Altro Transfloor has been marketing its marine specification, non-slip Gallium flooring product as a safer alternative to traditional PVC products for a number of years now. However, it has been an uphill struggle that does not seem to be getting any easier. Managing director Simon Andrews says, “We are still banging the drum about the same issues we face in the maritime sector, which is that no one seems to be concerned about the supply of PVC flooring into this sector. I have spoken with major shipyards and operators and they all have the same ‘Hear no evil, see no evil’ attitude that if it has a certificate, then it must be safe.”

This attitude is forcing Altro to rethink its strategy. As Mr Andrews reflects, “We are evaluating the situation to see if it is commercially viable to continue making a product that very few people want to pay a premium for.

The facts are that we cannot produce Gallium for what other manufacturers sell PVC products for and, as an ethical company, we would never consider selling a PVC-based product into the market because we know – as really everyone else does – that PVC should not be able to pass the stringent part 2 of the IMO FTP for smoke and toxicity.”

IMO is in the process of amending the FTP code, with changes that will be fully introduced in 2012, and Mr Andrews believes it is a “good thing” that the issue of toxicity testing has been addressed. In particular the regulations will stipulate a uniform test method (FTIR) that Altro hopes will make it impossible for products containing PVC to pass the test. However, Mr Andrews says he is concerned that a manufacturer could still re-test its product in November 2011 using the old method and receive a new MED certificate valid for another 5 years. He adds, “The IMO is obviously aware that this new FTP code will cause some disruption and additional cost to the industry, hence the delay in introducing it.”

Mr Andrews claims that some cruise ships are using flooring materials with MED test certificates dating back as far as 1996. “To us it is morally objectionable to use a test certificate that is 14 years old and which pre-dates the last change to the IMO FTP in 1998. But because there seems to be so many loop holes and ‘grandfather’ clauses in maritime, it is accepted or turned a blind eye to. This makes a complete mockery of the Marine Equipment Directive, which is supposed to protect ship owners and operators and, more importantly, passengers and crew.”

The higher cost of Gallium means that, so far, Altro Transfloor has achieved greater success with orders for smaller passenger vessels. As Mr Andrews points out, “Big cruise vessels won’t pay £35/m² for flooring when they can pay £10/m². With back-of-house areas on cruise ships sometimes being in the region of 4000m², the price difference could be around £100,000 – although in actual terms this represents a minute percentage of the total cost of a vessel.”

Altro has recently completed a project on a small new ferry for Wyker Dampschiffsreederei (WDR) at JJ Sietas in Hamburg and also with Tyovene in Finland for Waxholmsbolaget’s newbuild passenger vessel Nämdö. In addition Altro reveals that it has been asked to supply 200m2 of Gallium for Oasis of the Seas, post-launch, to address an issue that has arisen in some back-of-house areas that originally had just a painted steel deck. PST