Underhull quick disconnect mooring system
AssigneeCanadian Marine Drilling Ltd.
InventorManfred Schaper
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mooring line or cable system is provided for a drillship including a hull adapted to float in water at a water-line, the mooring line being in the general form of a catenary chain line. The mooring line includes a drillship portion secured to a winch on the drillship and entraining a sheave, and a first spar buoy and an anchor portion including an anchor chain and an anchor and a second spar buoy. A two-part, remote controlled quick disconnect element is provided, one part being connected to the drillship portion and another part being connected to the anchor portion, the two parts being adapted to connect the first spar buoy and the second spar buoy together, to provide an anchored mooring line.
Claims18
A mooring line system for a vessel including a hull, adapted to float on water at a waterline, said mooring line system being in the general form of a catenary comprising:
- (a) a winch;
- (b) a sheave associated with said winch;
- (c) a mooring line or cable secured to the winch, entraining the sheave and secured to a first spar buoy;
- (d) an anchor chain secured at one end to an anchor and at the other end to a second spar buoy;
- and
- (e) a remotely controlled quick disconnect two-part member, one part being secured to first spar buoy and the other part being secured to said second spar buoy, said two parts being adapted to connect the first spar buoy and the second spar buoy together, thereby to provide an anchored mooring line.
A vessel floating on a body of water at a waterline from which vessel drilling operations may be conducted, said vessel comprising:
- (a) an elongated hull having a bow, a stern, a deck and a keel, and a well extending vertically through the hull between the deck and the keel and intermediate said bow and said stern;
- (b) a plurality of winches disposed on the deck about the vessel;
- and
- (c) a plurality of mooring line systems in the general form of a catenary, one mooring line system being associated with each said winch, each mooring line system comprising
- (b) a sheave associated with said winch,
- c. a mooring line secured to the winch, entraining the sheave and secured to a first spar buoy,
- (d) an anchor chain secured at one end to an anchor and at the other end to a second spar buoy, and
- (e) a remotely controlled quick disconnect two-part member, one part being secured to said first spar buoy and the other part being secured to said second spar buoy, said two parts being adapted to connect the first spar buoy and the second spar buoy together, thereby to provide an anchored mooring line.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.