# US 10,767,790 B2 · Offshore vessel, marine pipeline installation system and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,767,790 B2 - Document ID: US10767790B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/702,070 - Filed: 2019-12-03 - Published: 2020-04-02 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2015-04-28 - Assignees: Itrec B V - Applicants: Itrec B.V. - Inventors: Joop Roodenburg; Ronny Lambertus Waltherus Nouwens; Wilco Stavenuiter - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10767790B2 ## CPC - F16L 1/16: on the bottom - B63B 35/03: Pipe-laying vessels (laying pipes under water F16L1/12) - E21B 19/006: {including heave compensators} - E21B 19/008: {Winding units, specially adapted for drilling operations} - E21B 19/06: Elevators, i.e. rod- or tube-gripping devices - E21B 19/22: Handling reeled pipe or rod units, e.g. flexible drilling pipes {(lifting or hauling appliances using two or more cooperating endless chains B66D3/003)} - E21B 19/24: Guiding or centralising devices for drilling rods or pipes - F16L 1/123: {Devices for the protection of pipes under water} - F16L 1/20: Accessories therefor, e.g. floats or weights - F16L 1/203: {the pipes being wound spirally prior to laying} - F16L 1/23: Pipe tensioning apparatus - F16L 1/235: Apparatus for controlling the pipe during laying - E21B 15/02: specially adapted for underwater drilling (E21B15/04 takes precedence) - F16L: PIPES; JOINTS OR FITTINGS FOR PIPES; SUPPORTS FOR PIPES, CABLES OR PROTECTIVE TUBING; MEANS FOR THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL - B63B: SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING (arrangements of vessel ventilation, heating, cooling, or air-conditioning B63J2/00; floating substructures as supports of dredgers or soil-shifting machines E02F9/06) - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS ## Abstract A marine reel lay method pipeline installation system for laying a flexible pipeline on the seabed a pipeline includes a pipeline launch tower adapted to launch the flexible pipeline in a firing line along said tower; a pipeline guide provided at an elevated position; one or more tensioners, wherein the tensioner frame includes two frame segments with track units, the two frame segments being adapted to be conjoined to each other and being pivotably mounted to said pipeline launch tower about a respective vertical tensioner pivot axis, allowing said two frame segments to be pivotable between a closed flexible pipeline laying configuration; and an open configuration; one or more vertical trolley rails supported by said pipeline launch tower and positioned between said vertical tensioner pivot axes of said two frame segments; a trolley movable along said one or more vertical trolley rails in a vertical trolley path which is unobstructed when said two frame segments are in the open configuration; and a hoisting device being adapted to lower and raise said trolley. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A marine reel lay method pipeline installation system for laying a flexible pipeline on the seabed, wherein the system comprises: a pipeline launch tower which is adapted to launch the flexible pipeline in a firing line along said tower; a pipeline guide provided at an elevated position, which is adapted to guide said pipeline over said pipeline guide into said firing line; one or more tensioners, each of the one or more tensioners comprising: a tensioner frame supported by said pipeline launch tower; and multiple track units supported by said tensioner frame, said track units being adapted to engage the flexible pipeline and to support at least part of the weight of a launched flexible pipeline in the firing line, in a flexible pipeline laying configuration thereof, wherein the tensioner frame of the single tensioner, or at least the tensioner frame of a lower tensioner of the multiple tensioners, comprises two frame segments with one or more of the multiple track units, the two frame segments being adapted to be conjoined to each other, each of said two frame segments being pivotably mounted to said pipeline launch tower about a respective vertical tensioner pivot axis, allowing said two frame segments to be pivotable between: a closed flexible pipeline laying configuration in which the frame segments are conjoined to form an enclosed pipeline annulus and are able to support the pipeline; and an open configuration wherein the segments are disconnected and separated and have pivoted over at least 90°; one or more vertical trolley rails supported by said pipeline launch tower and positioned between said vertical tensioner pivot axes of said two frame segments; a trolley which is movable along said one or more vertical trolley rails in a vertical trolley path which is unobstructed when said two frame segments are in the open configuration wherein the segments are disconnected and separated and have pivoted over at least 90°; and a hoisting device being adapted to lower and raise said trolley. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The marine reel lay method pipeline installation system according to claim 1, wherein the pipeline launch tower is square or rectangular in cross-section having a front side adjoining the vertical trolley path and perpendicular sides thereto. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The marine reel lay method pipeline installation system according to claim 2, wherein the frame segments are mounted to the perpendicular sides of the pipeline launch tower. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The marine reel lay method pipeline installation system according to claim 3, wherein the frame segments in the open configuration have pivoted over 180°, adjoining the perpendicular sides of the tower. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The marine reel lay method pipeline installation system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the frame segments comprises a control installation which is pivotable together with said at least one of the frame segments. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The marine reel lay method pipeline installation system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more vertical trolley rails extend beyond the pipeline launch tower along a hull part of a vessel, and into a moonpool. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The marine reel lay method pipeline installation system according to claim 1, wherein two vertical trolley rails are provided. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A method for laying an offshore pipeline, comprising the steps of: laying the flexible pipeline using the marine reel lay method pipeline installation system according to claim 1 with the one or more tensioners in the pipeline laying configuration; pivoting said tensioner frame segments to the open configuration; and operating the hoisting device to lower and raise the trolley in the unobstructed vertical trolley path.