Very large vessel construction

• US 6,968,795 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2003
• Issued: 11/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Single Buoy Moorings of America Incorporated (Single Buoy Moorings)
• Original Assignee: Single Buoy Moorings of America Incorporated (Single Buoy Moorings)
• Inventors: Van Cann, Bram, Hendriks, Sjoerd Maarlen, Lambregts, Adam F. J. M., Poldervaart, Leendert
• Primary Examiner(s): SWINEHART, EDWIN L
• Application Number:
  US10/686,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20040079268A1
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• Field of Search: 114/65.R, 114/77.A, 114/77.R, 114/74.R, 114/356
• US Class Current: 114/65.00R
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2035/448 Floating hydrocarbon production vessels, e.g. Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessels [FPSO]
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 3/04 with permanently-connected sub-units
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 35/4413 Floating drilling platforms, e.g. carrying water-oil separating devices
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 73/10 Building or assembling vessels from prefabricated hull blocks, i.e. complete hull cross-sections
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 73/30 Moving or transporting modules or hull blocks to assembly sites, e.g. by rolling, lifting or floating
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 11/205 with air supply by suction from diver, e.g. snorkels B63C11/16 takes precedence

Abstract

A very large hydrocarbon production vessel (10) of at least 40,000 tons steel weight, is constructed without requiring a very long reserve time period in a very large dry dock. The hull of the vessel is constructed in at least three different hull sections, including a midship hull section (24) and bow and stern hull sections (20, 22), with each preferably constructed at a different construction site. The hull sections are then brought together in a very large dry dock and welded together, so a minimum amount of time must be reserved in the very large dry dock. The midship hull section is preferably constructed in a specialized shipyard, and the same shipyard installs drilling equipment (50) and equipment that connects to risers that bring up hydrocarbons, so the expertise of the shipyard is used for both the midsection hull construction and specialized drilling and riser handling equipment.

Claims

1. A method for at least constructing a very large hydrocarbon production vessel of at least 40,000 tons of steel weight which has a hull and equipment on the hull, the hull having a plurality of hull sections including bow and stern end sections and having a midship section for lying between the bow and stern sections, wherein one of the sections includes a riser coupling for connecting to a riser extending to a seafloor reservoir, and wherein said hull sections are each constructed by fastening together large steel plate sections, comprising:

constructing said midship hull section in a first fabrication yard, and constructing said bow and stern end sections in a least a second fabrication yard;

floating and moving along a body of water, at least one of said hull sections to a single assembly dry dock and fastening said plurality of hull sections together in tandem in said assembly dry dock;

said step of constructing including fastening plates across a first end of at least one of said hull sections that is floated and moved along a body of water to said assembly dry dock to keep out water, while establishing a second end of said one of said hull sections so it is water tight.

2. A method for at least constructing a very large hydrocarbon production vessel of at least 40,000 tons of steel weight which has a hull and equipment on the hull, the hull having a plurality of hull sections including bow and stern end sections and having a midship section for lying between the bow and stern sections, wherein one of the sections includes a riser coupling for connecting to a riser extending to a seafloor reservoir, and wherein said hull sections are each constructed by fastening together large steel plate sections, comprising:

constructing said midship hull section in a first fabrication yard, and constructing said bow and stern end sections in a least a second fabrication yard;

floating and moving along a body of water, at least one of said hull sections to a single assembly dry dock and fastening said plurality of hull sections together in tandem in said assembly dry dock;

said step of constructing including installing drilling and production equipment on said midship section, and

installing hydrocarbon storage tanks each of a volume of a plurality of cubic meters on each of said hull end sections but not on said midship section.

3. A method for at least constructing a very large hydrocarbon production vessel of at least 40,000 tons of steel weight which has a hull and equipment on the hull, the hull having a plurality of hull sections including bow and stern end sections and having a midship section for lying between the bow and stern sections, wherein one of the sections includes a riser coupling for connecting to a riser extending to a seafloor reservoir, and wherein said hull sections are each constructed by fastening together large steel plate sections, comprising:

constructing said midship hull section, including installing drilling equipment on said midship hull section, in a first fabrication yard, and constructing said bow and stern end sections in a least a second fabrication yard;

floating and moving along a body of water, at least one of said hull sections to a single assembly dry dock and fastening said plurality of hull sections together in tandem in said assembly dry dock.

4. A method for at least constructing a very large hydrocarbon production vessel of at least 40,000 tons of steel weight which has a hull and equipment on the hull, the hull having a plurality of hull sections including bow and stern end sections and having a midship section for lying between the bow and stern sections, wherein one of the sections includes a riser coupling for connecting to a riser extending to a seafloor reservoir, and wherein said hull sections are each constructed by fastening together large steel plate sections, comprising:

constructing said midship hull section in a first fabrication yard, and constructing said bow and stern end sections in a least a second fabrication yard, including forming a plurality of ends of said hull sections with cofferdams to facilitate the joining of adjacent ends of two hull sections;

floating and moving along a body of water, at least one of said hull sections to a single assembly dry dock and fastening said plurality of hull sections together in tandem in said assembly dry dock.

5. A method for at least constructing a very large hydrocarbon production vessel of at least 40,000 tons of steel weight which has a hull and equipment on the hull, the hull having a plurality of hull sections including bow and stern end sections and having a midship section for lying between the bow and stern sections, wherein one of the sections includes a riser coupling for connecting to a riser extending to a seafloor reservoir, and wherein said hull sections are each constructed by fastening together large steel plate sections, comprising:

constructing said midship hull section in a first fabrication yard, and constructing said bow and stern end sections in a least a second fabrication yard, including forming a bow end of said stern end section with a cofferdam, to facilitate the joining of the stern and midship sections;

floating and moving along a body of water, at least one of said hull sections to a single assembly dry dock and fastening said plurality of hull sections together in tandem in said assembly dry dock.

6. A method for at least constructing a very large hydrocarbon production vessel of at least 40,000 tons of steel weight which has a hull and equipment on the hull, the hull having a plurality of hull sections including bow and stern end sections and having a midship section for lying between the bow and stern sections, wherein one of the sections includes a riser coupling for connecting to a riser extending to a seafloor reservoir, and wherein said hull sections are each constructed by fastening together large steel plate sections, comprising:

constructing said midship hull section in a first fabrication yard including fastening steel plates across both bow and stern ends of said midship section, and constructing said bow and stern end sections in a least a second fabrication yard;

floating and moving along a body of water, at least one of said hull sections to a single assembly dry dock and fastening said plurality of hull sections together in tandem in said assembly dry dock.