IMO Industries, Inc., headquartered in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, was formed through the consolidation of multiple industrial equipment companies including De Laval Steam Turbine Company — inheriting De Laval’s naval auxiliary turbine and pump equipment business and its extensive Navy supply relationships. IMO Industries continued manufacturing and supporting De Laval-designed steam turbines, turbo-generators, and specialty pump equipment for Navy applications through the transition period in the 1970s and 1980s when asbestos was being phased out of new construction but remained in maintenance materials for existing equipment.

Inherited De Laval Navy Supply and Asbestos

IMO Industries’ Navy supply relationship through the De Laval product lines meant the same asbestos-containing turbine and pump equipment that De Laval had supplied continued to be manufactured, supported, and maintained through IMO Industries:

  • De Laval-pattern turbo-generator maintenance parts — asbestos packing and gasket replacement parts for De Laval turbo-generators already installed aboard Navy vessels continued to be supplied through IMO Industries as the successor to De Laval
  • New auxiliary turbine installations by IMO Industries in the transitional 1970s-early 1980s period used asbestos-containing gaskets and packing in the same pattern as earlier De Laval equipment
  • IMO pump equipment using asbestos shaft packing and flange gaskets in the continuing pump product line supplied to the Navy

Transition Period Asbestos Exposure

IMO Industries’ Navy supply period spans the transition from full asbestos use through the Navy’s phase-down programs. Engineering personnel maintaining IMO-supplied and De Laval-sourced turbine and pump equipment aboard ships with the original 1960s-1970s installation encountered asbestos packing and gaskets during maintenance throughout this period, even as new construction was moving to asbestos substitutes.

IMO Industries and its predecessor De Laval appear in the Navy supply record for auxiliary turbine and pump equipment across multiple vessel classes. The litigation record documents the De Laval-to-IMO Industries supply continuity and the asbestos-containing components in their Naval auxiliary turbine and pump product lines.

VA Claims

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from auxiliary turbine and pump maintenance in Navy engineering plants. Engineering ratings who performed maintenance on De Laval or IMO Industries turbine and pump equipment involving asbestos packing and gaskets and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma may qualify for VA disability benefits.