18 ASME-Coded Process Filter Skids for Amiad and DrM: Serving Coral South, Bacalhau FPSO, and Sakarya Gas Field Mega-Projects

Lmart has fabricated 18 process filter vessels and skid assemblies for two of the world’s leading filtration technology companies — Amiad Water Systems (Israel) and DrM (Switzerland) — across four campaigns from 2017 to 2025. These filters are installed on three of the most significant offshore and gas field developments of the past decade: ENI’s Coral South FLNG in Mozambique, Equinor/ExxonMobil’s Bacalhau FPSO in Brazil, and TPAO’s Sakarya gas field in Turkey’s Black Sea. All units carry ASME U Stamp with additional certifications including LR, NR, and PED as required by each project.

Customers	Amiad Water Systems (Israel/global) & DrM (Switzerland, via DrM Shanghai)
End Users / Projects	ENI (Coral South FLNG), Equinor/ExxonMobil (Bacalhau FPSO), TPAO (Sakarya Gas Field Phase 2a & Phase 3)
Industry	Offshore oil & gas — produced water treatment, seawater filtration, gas processing
Project Locations	Rovuma Basin (Mozambique), Santos Basin (Brazil), Black Sea (Turkey)
Equipment	Process filter vessels & skid assemblies — 18 units total
Design Codes	ASME VIII Div. 1 (U Stamp) + LR, NR, PED as applicable
Delivery Period	2017–2025 (four production campaigns)

Customer Background and Industry Context

Amiad Water Systems, headquartered in Israel with operations worldwide, is a global leader in automatic self-cleaning filtration solutions. Their filters are deployed across water treatment, industrial process, and oil & gas applications — including produced water treatment on offshore platforms where reliable, automated filtration is critical to meeting discharge regulations and protecting downstream injection equipment.

DrM, headquartered in Männedorf, Switzerland (operating in China through DrM Shanghai), specializes in advanced filtration and separation technology for chemical, pharmaceutical, and energy applications. Their pressure filtration systems are specified for high-value process streams where filtration efficiency and vessel integrity are non-negotiable.

The three mega-projects served by these filter vessels represent landmark developments in the global oil & gas industry:

Coral South FLNG (Mozambique). ENI’s Coral South is the world’s first deepwater floating LNG facility, operating in the Rovuma Basin off the coast of Mozambique. The 432 m long FLNG vessel produces 3.4 MTPA of LNG from the Coral reservoir at depths exceeding 2,000 m. This was also one of the first major FID decisions for East African gas monetization — a project watched by the entire industry as a bellwether for the region’s hydrocarbon potential.

Bacalhau FPSO (Brazil). The Bacalhau field, operated by Equinor in partnership with ExxonMobil, is a pre-salt deepwater development in the Santos Basin. The FPSO is designed to produce 220,000 barrels of oil per day from reservoirs located beneath 2,000 m of water and several thousand meters of rock and salt. Pre-salt developments demand the highest equipment reliability because intervention and maintenance costs on deepwater floating production systems are extraordinary.

Sakarya Gas Field (Turkey). TPAO’s Sakarya field in Turkey’s Black Sea is the largest natural gas discovery in Turkish history — estimated at 710 billion cubic meters of recoverable gas. Phase 2a and Phase 3, which the Lmart-fabricated filters support, represent Turkey’s drive toward energy independence. The project includes subsea production systems, offshore platforms, and an onshore gas processing plant connected by a 170 km subsea pipeline.

Challenges and Engineering Pain Points

Multi-Code Certification on a Single Vessel

Each project required a different combination of certifications applied simultaneously to the same vessel. The Coral South filters carry both ASME U Stamp and Lloyd’s Register (LR) classification approval. The Bacalhau filters carry ASME U plus National Board (NR) registration. The Sakarya Phase 2a filters carry the most complex combination: ASME U plus PED (Pressure Equipment Directive 2014/68/EU) for CE marking. Each additional certification layer adds independent witness points, material documentation requirements, and design review procedures that must be coordinated within a single fabrication sequence without conflict or duplication.

Exotic Materials and Corrosion-Resistant Alloys

Offshore filter vessels handling produced water, seawater, or sour gas streams require materials far beyond standard carbon steel. Depending on the process fluid composition — chloride content, H&sub2;S partial pressure, CO&sub2; concentration, and temperature — these vessels may require duplex stainless steel (UNS S31803/S32205), super duplex (UNS S32750/S32760), or nickel alloys (Alloy 625, Alloy 825) for wetted components. Welding these materials requires qualified WPS with strict interpass temperature control, post-weld ferrite measurement (for duplex grades), and NACE MR0175 compliance testing for sour service applications.

Dimensional Precision for Automated Filtration Internals

Amiad’s and DrM’s filtration systems use proprietary internal components — filter elements, backwash mechanisms, and automated cleaning assemblies — that must interface precisely with the pressure vessel shell. Nozzle orientations, internal baffle positions, and flange face finishes must match the filtration OEM’s installation tolerances, which are typically tighter than standard ASME fabrication tolerances. Any deviation in nozzle location or angular orientation can prevent installation of the internal filtration assembly, requiring costly rework.

Offshore Transport and Preservation for Remote Locations

These filter vessels ship to some of the world’s most remote construction sites — Mozambique, deepwater Brazil, and Turkey’s Black Sea coast. Transit times from Zhangjiagang can exceed 45 days by ocean freight. Vessels must be preserved against corrosion during transit (nitrogen blanketing, VCI paper wrapping, desiccant in sealed enclosures), mechanically protected against shipping damage (custom cradles, shock indicators), and documented with receiving inspection procedures so that the destination site can verify condition on arrival.

Why Amiad and DrM Selected Lmart

ASME U Stamp with concurrent classification and PED certification. Many ASME shops can stamp a vessel. Far fewer can simultaneously satisfy LR, NR, and PED requirements on the same unit without quality system conflicts. Lmart’s multi-code quality management system — built over 15+ years of concurrent ASME, PED, and classification society work — enables single-pass fabrication that satisfies all applicable codes without redundant inspection stages or documentation rework.

Proven track record with repeat orders. Amiad first ordered from Lmart in 2017 for Coral South and returned in 2021 for Bacalhau — a four-year gap that confirms the first delivery met expectations. DrM Shanghai ordered for Sakarya Phase 2a in 2023 and returned for Phase 3 in 2025, demonstrating the same pattern of earned confidence through successful execution.

Filtration OEM interface management. Lmart’s engineering team works directly from the filtration OEM’s internal arrangement drawings, ensuring that vessel nozzle locations, internal support ring positions, and flange specifications precisely match the proprietary filtration internals. This interface coordination is managed through a formal dimensional verification protocol with hold points at shell rolling, nozzle fit-up, and final machining stages.

Cost efficiency for international mega-projects. On billion-dollar developments like Coral South, Bacalhau, and Sakarya, filtration equipment is a relatively small line item — but it must meet the same stringent quality standards as the largest process vessels. Lmart provides fabrication quality equivalent to European or Korean shops at significantly lower cost, enabling filtration OEMs like Amiad and DrM to maintain their margins while meeting end-client specifications.

Engineering and Manufacturing Solution

The four production campaigns followed the specific requirements of each project, with Lmart’s engineering team adapting vessel design, material selection, and certification protocols to match the end-user’s technical specifications.

Coral South (2017) — 7 filter vessels, ASME U + LR. The largest single batch in this project series. Seven filter vessels fabricated to ASME VIII Div. 1 with concurrent Lloyd’s Register survey. LR surveyors witnessed material identification, welding procedure qualification, NDE, hydrostatic testing, and final inspection at Lmart’s workshop. All vessels received ASME U Stamp and LR Product Certificate before shipment to the FLNG construction yard.

Bacalhau (2021) — 2 filter vessels, ASME U + NR. Two filter vessels for Equinor/ExxonMobil’s pre-salt FPSO, fabricated to ASME VIII Div. 1 with National Board registration. NR registration requires additional documentation rigor including Manufacturer’s Data Report (MDR) filing with the National Board and compliance with jurisdictional installation requirements for the destination country.

Sakarya Phase 2a (2023) — 3 filter vessels, ASME U + PED. Three filters for TPAO’s Black Sea gas field, carrying dual ASME U and PED CE marking. PED compliance required conformity assessment per Module H (full quality assurance), Essential Safety Requirements (ESR) documentation, and CE declaration of conformity. This dual certification enables the vessels to be installed in both ASME-jurisdiction and EU-jurisdiction locations without re-certification.

Sakarya Phase 3 (2025) — 6 filter vessels, ASME U. The largest DrM order, building directly on the successful Phase 2a delivery. Six filter vessels to ASME VIII Div. 1, with fabrication procedures and quality documentation carried forward from Phase 2a to ensure consistency across the two project phases.

Complete Equipment Reference List

#	Year	Equipment	Qty	Certifications	Customer	Project / End User
1	2017	Process Filter Vessel	7	ASME U + LR	Amiad Water Systems	Coral South FLNG — ENI (Mozambique)
2	2021	Process Filter Vessel	2	ASME U + NR	Amiad Water Systems	Bacalhau FPSO — Equinor/ExxonMobil (Brazil)
3	2023	Process Filter Vessel	3	ASME U + PED	DrM Shanghai	Sakarya Gas Field Phase 2a — TPAO (Turkey)
4	2025	Process Filter Vessel	6	ASME U	DrM Shanghai	Sakarya Gas Field Phase 3 — TPAO (Turkey)

Certification Comparison Across Projects

Aspect	ASME U (all projects)	+ LR (Coral South)	+ NR (Bacalhau)	+ PED (Sakarya 2a)
Design Review	AI review of calculations	LR plan approval	AI review	Notified Body review
Material Certification	CMTR per SA-20	LR-witnessed MTR	CMTR + NB filing	EN 10204 3.2
Welding Oversight	AI witness per UW-47	LR surveyor witness	AI witness	Notified Body audit
NDE Requirements	Per UW-51/52	LR Rules + ASME	Per UW-51/52	PED ESR + ASME
Pressure Test Witness	AI mandatory	LR surveyor mandatory	AI mandatory	Notified Body witness
Final Documentation	MDR (U-1)	MDR + LR Product Certificate	MDR + NB registration	MDR + Declaration of Conformity + CE marking

Project Execution, Quality Control, and Delivery

Each campaign was managed as a distinct project with dedicated WPS qualification, material procurement, and inspection schedules aligned to the specific code combination. Key QC milestones common to all four campaigns:

• Material procurement with full traceability: mill certificates verified against ASME SA specifications, PMI on all alloy materials, and material identification transfer at each cutting and forming operation
• Welding procedure qualification: WPS/PQR qualified to ASME IX with additional requirements per LR, NR, or PED as applicable — including impact testing, macro/micro examination, and ferrite measurement for duplex grades
• Fit-up and dimensional verification: nozzle locations checked against filtration OEM’s arrangement drawings at fit-up stage (hold point) with ±1.5 mm positional tolerance on all nozzle centerlines
• NDE per ASME VIII and applicable classification/PED requirements: RT or UT on all Category A and B joints, MT or PT on all Category C and D joints, with acceptance criteria per the most stringent applicable code
• Hydrostatic testing per UG-99/UG-100 at 1.3× MAWP, witnessed by ASME AI and classification surveyor or Notified Body as applicable
• Nameplate stamping: ASME U Stamp applied after AI review of MDR; additional certification marks (LR, CE, NR) applied per respective authority requirements
• Preservation and packing: internal surfaces cleaned and dried, nitrogen blanketed where specified, flanges sealed with spectacle blinds, shipping saddles designed for ocean freight container or flat-rack loading

Shipping logistics varied by destination: Coral South vessels were shipped to the Samsung Heavy Industries yard in South Korea (where the FLNG hull was constructed); Bacalhau vessels to the FPSO conversion yard in Singapore; and Sakarya vessels to the construction site in Turkey. Each shipment included containerized ocean freight with project-specific preservation requirements and pre-shipment inspection by the end-client’s representative.

Results and Business Impact

Eighteen filter vessels delivered across four campaigns, spanning eight years and three continents, with zero quality non-conformances requiring field rework. The repeat-order pattern from both Amiad (2017 → 2021) and DrM (2023 → 2025) confirms that Lmart’s fabrication quality and delivery performance meet the expectations of premium international filtration OEMs serving the world’s most demanding projects.

The project list reads like a who’s who of global offshore development: ENI’s Coral South (the world’s first deepwater FLNG), Equinor’s Bacalhau (Brazil’s pre-salt frontier), and TPAO’s Sakarya (Turkey’s largest gas discovery). Having Lmart-fabricated equipment installed on these landmark projects provides a reference portfolio that few Chinese pressure vessel manufacturers can match.

The multi-code capability demonstrated across these projects — ASME U alone, ASME U + LR, ASME U + NR, and ASME U + PED — positions Lmart as a versatile fabrication partner for filtration OEMs who serve diverse end-markets with varying certification requirements. Rather than maintaining relationships with separate fabricators for different code combinations, Amiad and DrM can consolidate their vessel procurement with a single qualified supplier.

Customer Voice

Both Amiad and DrM returned to Lmart with follow-on orders after multi-year intervals — a procurement pattern that demonstrates sustained confidence in fabrication quality, particularly when the second order carries higher complexity (NR registration for Bacalhau) or larger quantity (6 units for Sakarya Phase 3).

“The dimensional accuracy on the nozzle positions was critical for our internal filtration assembly. All vessels passed our receiving inspection without rework on any interface dimension.”

— Filtration OEM project engineering team (paraphrased from project review)

Note: Lmart respects client confidentiality. Specific contact references are available upon request during the qualification process.