Mooring system for a tender for production platforms

• US 6,463,870 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2001
• Issued: 10/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Drillmar, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Drillmar, Inc.
• Inventors: Tein, Yi Suang David, Beato, Christopher Louis
• Primary Examiner(s): Morano, S. Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): WRIGHT, ANDREW D
• Application Number:
  US09/847,019
• Publication Number:
  US 20020040674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 532 Days
• Field of Search: 114/293, 114/264, 405/195.1, 405/224
• US Class Current: 114/293
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 1/107 Semi-submersibles; Small waterline area multiple hull vessels and the like, e.g. SWATH
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2001/128 comprising underwater connectors between the hulls
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 21/50 Anchoring arrangements or methods for special vessels, e.g. for floating drilling platforms or dredgers
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 35/44 Floating buildings, stores, drilling platforms, or workshops, e.g. carrying water-oil separating devices construction methods for floating offshore platforms B63B75/00

Abstract

A mooring system for a semisubmersible tender which comprises a deck, a shape that results in a combined environmental load of less than 1000 kips in a 100-year extreme weather condition, a plurality of supports connected to the deck, a plurality of pontoons connecting to the supports, at least two hawsers for connecting the tender to a production platform, each having adequate elasticity to accommodate the wave frequency between the production platform and the tender, and adequate stiffness to synchronize the average and low frequency movement between the production platform and the tender under an environmental load produced during a storm having a designation of up to a 10-year storm in the tendering position, connectors securing each hawser, a hawser guidance system; and an at least 8-point mooring system with each mooring lines consisting of: a first length of steel wire rope; a length of polymer rope secured to the first length of steel wire rope; a second length of steel wire rope secured to the polymer rope; and creating global equilibrium between the production platform'"'"'s mooring system and the at least 8 point mooring system of the tender.

Claims

1. A mooring system for a semisubmersible tender with a lightship displacement of less than 15,000 short tons for a deep draft caisson vessel (SPAR) comprising:

a. at least 8 anchors;

b. at least two hawsers connected from a semisubmersible tender to a deep draft caisson vessel; and

c. at least 8 mooring lines, each line consisting of;

a first length of steel wire rope secured to each of said anchors;

a length of polymer rope secured to each of said first length of steel wire rope;

a second length of steel wire rope having a first and second end, and wherein said first end is secured to said length of polymer rope and said second end is secured to the tender; and

wherein said mooring line has adequate elasticity, stiffness and strength to accommodate the load on said tender under an environmental load produced by an up to a 10-year storm in the tendering position, and further wherein said mooring lines have a strength to withstand the environmental load produced by up to a 100-year extreme weather condition when said tender is moved to a 100-year extreme weather condition standby tender is moved to a 100-year extreme weather condition standby position; and

said lines are adapted to synchronize the movements between said semisubmersible tender and said deep draft caisson vessel, while tendering.

2. The mooring system of claim 1, wherein said mooring lines are tensioned.

3. A mooring system for a semisubmersible tender with a lightship displacement of less than 15,000 short tons for a tension leg production platform (TLP) comprising:

a. at least 8 anchors;

b. at least two hawsers connected from a semisubmersible tender to a tension leg production platform; and

c. at least 8 mooring lines, each line consisting of;

a first length of steel wire rope secured to each of said anchors;

a length of polymer rope secured to each of said first length of steel wire rope;

a second length of steel wire rope having a first and second end, and wherein said first end is secured to said length of polymer rope and said second end is secured to the tender; and

wherein each said mooring line has adequate elasticity, stiffness and strength to accommodate load on said tender under an environmental load produced by an up to a 10-year storm in the tendering position, and further wherein said mooring lines have a strength to withstand the environmental load produced by and up to 100-year extreme weather condition when said tender is moved to a 100-year extreme weather condition standby position; and

said lines are adapted to synchronize movements between the semisubmersible tender and the tension leg production platform, while tendering.

4. The mooring system of claim 3, wherein said mooring lines are tensioned.

5. A mooring system for a semisubmersible tender with a lightship displacement less than 15,000 short tons for a compliant tower production platform having a steel structure extending to the sea floor, comprising:

a. at least 8 anchors;

b. at least two hawsers connected from a semisubmersible tender to a compliant tower production platform; and

c. at least 8 mooring lines, each consisting of;

a first length of steel wire rope secured to each of said anchors;

a length of polymer rope secured to each of said first length of steel wire rope;

a second length of steel wire rope having a first and second end, and wherein said first end is secured to said length of polymer rope and said second end is secured to the tender; and

wherein said mooring line has adequate elasticity, stiffness and strength to accommodate the load on said tender under an environmental load produced by up to a 10-year storm in the tendering position, and further wherein said mooring lines have a strength to withstand the environmental load produced by a 100-year extreme weather condition when said tender is moved to a 100-year extreme weather condition standby position; and

wherein said lines are adapted to synchronize the movements between the semisubmersible tender and the compliant tower production platform, while tendering.

6. The mooring system of claim 5, wherein said mooring lines are tensioned.

7. A mooring system for a semisubmersible tender with a lightship displacement of less than 15,000 short tons for a fixed leg production platform, comprising:

a. at least 8 anchors;

b. at least two hawsers connected from a semisubmersible tender to a fixed leg production platform; and

c. at least 8 mooring lines, each consisting of;

a first length of steel wire rope secured to each of said anchors;

a length of polymer rope secured to each of said first length of steel wire rope;

a second length of steel wire rope having a first and second end, and wherein said first end is secured to said length of polymer rope and said second end is secured to the tender; and

wherein said mooring line has adequate elasticity, stiffness and strength to accommodate the load on said tender under an environmental load produced by an up to 10-year storm in the tendering position, and further wherein said mooring lines have a strength to withstand the environmental load produced by up to a 100-year extreme weather condition, when said tender is moved to a 100-year extreme weather standby position; and

said lines are adapted to synchronized movements between the semisubmersible tender and said fixed leg production platform.

8. The mooring system of claim 7, wherein said mooring lines are tensioned.