The importance of fire-resistant floors on superyachts

In the period from August 2021 to August 2022, no fewer than fourteen superyachts went up in flames. Last month, three yachts burned down in Spain, Estonia and Ibiza. The cause of fire varies, but the number of fires shows how vital it is to have fire-resistant material on your yacht.

Fire-resistant floor systems

Prolance Marine Flooring does all it can to guarantee the safety of passengers and crew on ships. This is why almost all products comply with the IMO and MED certification. In addition, all our floors fall under the Cfl or Bfl fire class. It is not mandatory to use IMO- and MED-certified materials on all ships. Nonetheless, we recommend that you go out on the water as safely as possible. This means taking safety measures on board and doing all you can to prevent and limit fire incidents.

PVC, carpet and vinyl

Our floors fall under the B and C fire class, which means that they make a very limited contribution to fire. Examples of B and C class ship floors are PVC, carpet and vinyl.

PVC and vinyl are difficult to combust because of the chlorine they contain. If PVC or vinyl does ignite, the fire will quickly go out once the ignition source has been removed. In addition, the heat released by burning PVC and vinyl is less than the heat released by burning wood or other plastics. Carpet is also a good option for a fire-resistant floor because of its low flammability. The best choice for carpet is a wool variant, as wool has a high ignition point. A further advantage is that wool does not melt as quickly as a synthetic fibre floor covering.

Interested in an IMO- or MED-certified floor?

Prolance Marine Flooring will be pleased to provide you with advice as well as installation and maintenance of ship floors. Our team is ready to help you from A to Z and you can always contact us with questions or concerns. Would you like to know what we can do for you? Do you have any questions about our products? Please contact us.