Single Buoy Moorings Inc.

Pierre Balleraud

Hein Wille

Jean-Robert Fournier

Jean-Pierre Benoit

Yves Tosetti

Stein Vedeld

Olivier Allio

An arrangement for mooring, loading and unloading of a vessel, includes a structure connected to the seabed and a Y-formed yoke for connecting the vessel to the structure, the structure including a stationary inner element adapted to be fixedly connected to the sea bed and an outer element having a rotatable fastening to the inner element, the outer element having a connector for fixing the yoke, wherein the yoke is provided with a pitch articulation to fix the first or mutual end of the yoke to the connector of the outer element and a roll articulation positioned between the pitch articulation and the first and second leg to allow the legs to rotate along the longitudinal axis of the yoke with respect to the pitch articulation.

Mooring arrangement and yoke for said mooring arrangement

A mooring system for a floating structure () in which a floating structure or fixed tower is provided with a turntable (). A floating structure is moored to the turntable via at least one rigid arm (') and two tension members (&#x2032;). The rigid arm is provided on one end with a ballast weight (&#x2032;) and includes a damping system formed of least two separated liquid tanks (&#x2032;) that are partly filled with liquids and placed at the same distance from the horizontal center line (). The tanks (&#x2032;) are fluidly connected with each other so that liquid can be exchanged between the tanks damps a swinging yaw motion of the rigid arm (&#x2032;) around the vertical axis of the turntable ().

Yoke damping system

An offshore system allows a vessel () to sail to a predetermined sea location (), quickly set up a loading system and start the transfer of hydrocarbons to or from a pipeline (), and then quickly disconnect and sail away. The vessel is a DP (dynamic positioning) vessel that does not require mooring or anchor lines, so the only apparatus to install is a conduit () that can be picked up by the vessel to extend between a stationary pipe end () that lies at the sea floor and the vessel. The conduit includes primarily a flexible hose () that extends in a sine wave with two loops (). The conduit includes a rigid reinforced hose section () that is pivotally connected to the sea floor. A chain () can be provided with a portion of the chain lying on the sea floor, to help the disconnected hose coupling (D) remain at a stable position above the sea floor.

Submerged loading system

Mooring system comprising a column (2) tensioned between a sea bottom anchor (3) and a buoyant body (5-8) said column having (an) additional mass(es) (11,12,13,14,27) at the vibration node or nodes of the second or (N+1).sup.th bending vibration node(s) above the wave period while keeping the periods of the higher modes of bending vibration below or in the area of the smaller waves.

Growing community of inventors

Nice, France

Pierre Balleraud