The PVL Underwater Cutting Torch: Redefining Efficiency in Underwater Cutting

Innovation beneath the surface.

In the demanding world of commercial diving, offshore construction, decommissioning, salvage, and marine infrastructure, underwater cutting is one of the most challenging and costly operations. Every extra minute spent underwater increases project costs, making speed, precision, and reliability essential.
For more than 25 years, PVL International has focused on solving exactly this challenge.

Founded in 1998 in the Netherlands, PVL International developed an underwater gas cutting torch that has transformed the way professional divers perform underwater cutting. Today, the PVL Underwater Cutting Torch is recognised as the only underwater gas cutting torch of its kind still being manufactured, making it a unique solution within the commercial diving industry.

Engineering Instead of Tradition
Most underwater cutting methods still rely on thermal cutting electrodes. While effective for many applications, thermal cutting requires frequent electrode replacement, interrupts workflow, and can become expensive during large-scale projects.

PVL chose a different approach.
Instead of consumable electrodes, the PVL Underwater Cutting Torch uses oxygen combined with gas and a specially engineered cutting system. This allows divers to work continuously with significantly fewer interruptions while maintaining excellent cutting quality. The result is a cutting process that is not only faster, but also considerably more economical for projects involving large volumes of steel.

Why the PVL Difference Matters
What makes the PVL Underwater Cutting Torch stand apart is not just its innovative design—it is the practical advantages it delivers on real-world projects.

Up to Three Times Faster
The PVL Cutting Torch enables cutting speeds of up to 20–24 metres per hour, allowing contractors to complete projects significantly faster than traditional thermal cutting methods. Less underwater time means lower labour costs, shorter project schedules, and improved operational efficiency.

Lower Cost Per Metre
Unlike thermal cutting systems that constantly consume electrodes, the PVL system uses a durable cutting bracket capable of cutting up to approximately 1,000 metres before replacement.
For companies performing extensive underwater cutting, this dramatically reduces consumable costs and lowers the total cost per metre of cutting.

Precision That Professionals Need

Not every underwater cut is straightforward.

Whether removing sheet piles, dismantling offshore structures, or cutting heavy steel sections, precision determines the quality of the work and often the safety of the operation.

The PVL Cutting Torch delivers long, controlled cuts that help divers work accurately even on complex structures.

To accommodate different working environments, the torch is available with both a 55° cutting head for confined spaces and work close to the seabed, and a 90° cutting head for general vertical and horizontal cutting operations.

Proven in the World's Most Demanding Projects

Innovation means little without proven performance.

The PVL Underwater Cutting Torch has been successfully used on hundreds of underwater projects across more than 30 countries, supporting offshore energy, marine construction, decommissioning, civil engineering, and salvage operations.

Recent examples include:
• Offshore drilling platform decommissioning in Malaysia, where the torch operated continuously for seven days while cutting platform legs at depths of 45 metres.
• The Afsluitdijk water infrastructure project in the Netherlands, where it enabled the precise underwater removal of sheet piles.
• Wind farm decommissioning projects, where the torch was used to cut monopile foundations efficiently below the seabed.
• Major sea lock construction projects, including Brunsbüttel, where divers relied on the PVL system throughout months of underwater cutting operations.

More Than a Product
PVL International is not simply a manufacturer of underwater equipment.

The company has dedicated decades to improving underwater cutting technology through continuous development, practical experience, and close cooperation with commercial diving professionals.
Every improvement has been driven by one objective: helping divers complete underwater cutting work faster, more safely, more accurately, and at a lower overall cost.

That philosophy has made the PVL Underwater Cutting Torch a trusted solution for contractors working on some of the world's most demanding subsea projects.

Looking Ahead
As offshore decommissioning, renewable energy, harbour expansion, and marine infrastructure projects continue to grow worldwide, the demand for efficient underwater cutting solutions will only increase.
Companies are under pressure to reduce project costs without compromising quality or safety.
The PVL Underwater Cutting Torch answers that challenge by offering a unique combination of speed, precision, durability, and cost-efficiency that few underwater cutting systems can match.
For professional divers and contractors who need maximum performance beneath the surface, PVL International continues to set the standard in underwater gas cutting technology.