Mooring system
AssigneeSingle Buoy Moorings Inc.
InventorBenoit B. d'Hautefeuille
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A mooring system comprising a vessel (1) floating on the water surface, such as a ship, and having an arm structure (2) pivotally secured to it. A buoyant body (9) presses upwardly on the arm structure (2); and the end of the arm structure opposite the ship is pivotally connected to a connector (4-6) that extends generally vertically upward from a bottom anchor (7). The connector (4-6) is maintained under tensile stress by the buoyancy of buoyant body (9). A number of anchor chains (10) are attached to the connector (4-6) and extend down to the sea bottom in various directions and are anchored to the sea bottom at a distance from the anchor (7) to which the connector (4-6) is attached. These anchor chains (10) exert a tensile force on the connector (4-6) in the opposite direction from the force exerted by the buoyant body (9).
Claims7
In a mooring system in water of great depth of a few hundred meters, comprising a vessel floating on the water surface, which vessel is attached by means of an arm structure secured to the vessel for pivotal movement about a horizontally extending axis to the upper end of a connecting means extending substantially vertically upward from a bottom anchor, with respect to which connecting means said arm structure can swing at least around a vertical axis, which connecting means is maintained under tensile stress by means of a buoyant body such that said connecting means tries to maintain its upwardly directed position;
- the improvement comprising a plurality of anchor chains extending in different directions, directly and fixedly attached to said connecting means, and fastened at a distance from the bottom anchor and exerting a force on said connecting means which is opposite to the tension exerted by said buoyant body thereby to reduce the tension exerted by said buoyant body between said bottom anchor and the point of connection of said chains to said connecting means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.