Sourcing floating cofferdams from China

UK duty on floating cofferdams

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 4 October 2026, heading 8907 covers other floating structures, including cofferdams. Floating cofferdams fall within the other-structures line, 8907 90 00 00, carrying 0% duty for goods from China. The supplied tariff record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. The variants in the table share this commodity line.

The tariff attaches an import control of fluorinated greenhouse gases. Confirm its application to the actual assembly with your customs broker. If supplied equipment contains fluorinated gas, imported equipment must be correctly labelled. The snapshot also lists a DCMS Export Licence measure; ask your broker to distinguish that export measure from the import checks.

Confirm the commodity code using drawings, materials and the floating structure's function, rather than the supplier's product name alone. Describe separately supplied equipment in the enquiry. For the wider heading, see floating work rafts.

Specify the enclosure, seals and ballast

Describe the work area to be enclosed, water depth, tidal variation, current, waves and the surface against which the cofferdam must seal. Agree the operating condition, including whether the assembly floats during positioning and how it is secured during dewatering.

Specify material grades, plate thicknesses, stiffeners, module joints, gasket profiles, ballast compartments, valves, lifting points and access arrangements. Ask for drawings, assembly instructions and a test plan covering leakage, ballast operation and joint alignment. Agree acceptance criteria with the engineer responsible for the site design.

HSE states that cofferdams used as temporary works must be inspected regularly by a competent person. Arrange the site inspection separately from the factory acceptance checks.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: A modular floating cofferdam assembly, illustrative only under 8907 90 00 00, invoiced at £48,000 free on board, with £6,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £54,500. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £54,500, so it is £10,900. With no duty, the only import tax is the VAT, which a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Structure: compare dimensions, plate thicknesses, stiffeners and weld condition with the approved drawings; check for transport distortion.

Seals: trial-fit adjoining modules, inspect gasket continuity and compression, and witness the agreed leakage test.

Ballast: check compartment identification, valve operation, accessible drains and the agreed filling and emptying sequence.

Arrival: reconcile modules, pins, bolts and spare seals against the packing list; inspect lifting points and protective coatings. Use the quality inspection guide to brief the inspector.

What goes wrong

Misaligned joints leave gaps that pumping cannot overcome. Damaged gaskets, distorted panels and inaccessible valves can prevent the assembly from sealing or ballasting as intended. A factory test against a flat surface may miss leakage against the actual site interface.

Agree a representative joint and seal test before production, and record the tested configuration. On arrival, check damage and component fit before positioning the cofferdam; refer discrepancies to the site engineer before dewatering.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For machinery and equipment, see machinery imports.