System for mooring a ship, particularly an oil-tanker, to an off-shore tower or column
AssigneeEnterprise d'Equipment Mecaniques Hydrauliques E.M.H.
InventorRobert Vilain
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for mooring a ship or like floating vessel, in particular, an oil-tanker, to an off-shore column, and for transferring a fluid cargo such as gas, petroleum oil or the like, by means of at least one articulated arm carried by the vessel, wherein the improvement consists in that the arm supports at its upper end a connector device capable of being fixedly placed on a mouth-piece, provided on the head of the column, and that mooring apparatus is provided to allow the vessel, once the connector device is thus placed, to be moored through the device and to move around the latter so as to be placed in the wind's eye.
Claims7
A system for mooring a ship or like floating vessel, in particular, an oil tanker, to an off-shore column, and for transferring a fluid cargo such as gas, petroleum oil or the like, by means of at least one articulated arm carried by said vessel, said arm supporting at its upper end a connector device capable of being fixedly placed on a mouth-piece provided on the head of said column, and mooring means for allowing said vessel, once the connector device is fixedly placed, to be moored through said device and to move around the latter so as to be placed in the wind's eye, said connector device comprising a hollow body forming a centering and guiding cone, adapted to be fitted onto a mouth-piece head extending from a conduit provided on said column, a sliding connector element operable to be inserted into the inlet of said mouth-piece in connecting relationship in conjunction with sealing means, locking means for maintaining the connecting condition of said connector device and said mouth-piece, and means for ensuring, once the connection is completed, the free rotation of said mooring means connecting said connector device to said vessel.
A system for mooring a ship or like floating vessel, in particular, an oil tanker, to an off-shore column, and for transferring a fluid cargo such as gas, petroleum oil or the like, by means of an arm comprising at least two articulated arm portions carried by said vessel through a turret-like swivelling head the base of which is secured to said vessel, said arm supporting at its upper free end a connector device capable of being fixedly placed on a mouth-piece provided on the head of said column, and mooring means for allowing said vessel, once the connector device is fixedly placed, to be moored through said device and to move around the latter so as to be placed in the wind's eye, said connector device comprising a hollow body forming a centering and guiding cone, adapted to be fitted onto said mouth-piece provided on said column, a sliding connector element operable to be inserted into the inlet of said mouth-piece in connecting relationship in conjunction with sealing means, locking means for maintaining the connecting condition of said connector device and said mouth-piece, and means for ensuring, once the connection is completed, the free rotation of said mooring means connecting said connector device to said vessel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.