FSO & FPSO Fabrication
Floating production and storage units are the largest single scopes a Chinese yard will take on, and the ones where documentation discipline matters most — because a twenty-year on-station design life leaves no opportunity for dry-docking to correct a fabrication shortcut.
Meritus supports FSO and FPSO programmes as a procurement and quality counterparty: sourcing topside modules, structural scopes and equipment packages, and putting independent inspection between you and the shop floor.
Scope we cover
Topside process and utility modules; turret and mooring support structures; hull conversion and life-extension steelwork; flare and vent structures; living quarters and helideck structures; pipe racks and cable-tray steelwork; blasting, painting and surface treatment to the project specification.
Documentation control
On an FPSO the document pack is part of the deliverable. We track material certificates, welder qualifications, NDT reports, dimensional control records and paint DFT logs against the module they belong to — so that when the class surveyor or your own auditor asks for the traceability chain on a specific weld, it exists and it matches.
Interface and load-out
Module dimensions, weight and centre of gravity, lifting points and the interfaces to the hull are where late-stage cost appears. We review dimensional control and module weighing results against the design basis before load-out, rather than treating them as a formality. Every order runs through the same quality chain: shop pre-qualification, material traceability against mill certificates, in-process and final inspection, and a documentation pack released before shipment.
Failure modes we inspect for
Traceability chains that break at the sub-supplier — a bracket or a stiffener whose material certificate cannot be produced. Paint DFT logs recorded as an average rather than per reading, hiding thin spots. Module weighing performed without the temporary steel accounted for. And NDT reports that reference a weld map revision that no longer matches the module.
How an order runs
Enquiry and specification review; shop shortlisting against the actual scope rather than a general vendor list; quotation with the inspection plan priced in, not added later; kick-off with agreed hold and witness points; in-process inspection at those points; final inspection, document pack release and shipment; arrival support if anything is queried. On FPSO scopes we index every record to the module it belongs to from day one, because reconstructing that association afterwards is close to impossible.
Frequently asked questions
Can Chinese yards build FPSO topsides to international standards?
Yes, and many do routinely. The variable is not capability but documentation discipline and sub-supplier control, which is precisely where an independent inspection layer earns its cost.
What scopes does Meritus typically handle on an FPSO?
Topside process and utility modules, turret and mooring support structures, hull conversion steelwork, living quarters and helideck structures, flare structures, pipe racks, and blasting and painting.
How is module weight verified?
By witnessed weighing, with temporary steel and preservation accounted for, reconciled against the design basis. Weight and centre of gravity drive the lifting arrangement and vessel stability, so they are treated as engineering inputs rather than records.
Does Meritus coordinate with the class society?
Yes — class survey coordination is part of the scope, with DNV, ABS, LR, BV or CCS as the project requires.