Submerged pipeline manifold for offloading mooring buoy and method of installation

A method of installing a product flowline between a permanent storage facility and a floating offshore facility comprising the steps of,

• delivering a product flowline having a first end and a second end to a permanent storage facility,
• connecting said first end of said product flowline to said permanent storage facility and connecting said second end of said product flowline to a buoyant pipeline terminating device, said pipeline terminating device having a water tight compartment for buoyancy,
• positioning said pipeline terminating device near a floating offshore facility that is arranged and designed for transferring fluid to a product transport facility,
• connecting flexible support leads between said pipeline terminating device and said floating offshore facility,
• sinking said pipeline terminating device by flooding said water tight compartment until said pipeline terminating device reaches an equilibrium submerged depth determined by the length of said flexible leads, and
• coupling a flowline between said pipeline terminating device and said floating offshore facility to provide a product flow path from said pipeline through said flowline to said floating offshore facility.

An offshore fluid transferring arrangement comprising,

• a storage facility for hydrocarbon fluids,
• an offloading buoy that is arranged and designed for floating on a sea surface and for transferring fluids to a tanker, said offloading buoy being secured to a sea floor by a plurality of anchor legs which extend from said sea floor to said offloading buoy;
• a first pipeline which has a first end coupled to said storage facility, said first pipeline having a second end,
• a submerged pipeline terminating device including a first input flowline to which said second end of said first pipeline is coupled, said terminating device having an output flowline in communication with said first input flowline,
• flexible support leads coupled between said offloading buoy and said submerged pipeline terminating device which support said terminating device at a submerged location beneath said offloading buoy, and
• a flexible product flowline hose coupled to said output flowline of said terminating device and said offloading buoy, said flexible product flowline hose permitting pitching or rolling motions of said offloading buoy while reducing stress transferred to said submerged pipeline terminating device.

An offshore fluid transferring arrangement comprising,

• a storage facility for hydrocarbon fluids,
• an offloading buoy that is arranged and designed for floating on a sea surface and for transferring fluids to a tanker, said offloading buoy being secured to a sea floor by a plurality of anchor legs which extend from said sea floor to said offloading buoy;
• a first pipeline which has a first end coupled to said storage facility, said first pipeline having a second end,
• a submerged pipeline terminating device including a first input flowline to which said second end of said first pipeline is coupled, said terminating device having an output flowline in communication with said first input flowline,
• flexible support leads coupled between said offloading buoy and said submerged pipeline terminating device which support said terminating device at a submerged location beneath said offloading buoy, and
• a flexible product flowline hose coupled to said output flowline of said terminating device and said offloading buoy, said flexible product flowline hose permitting pitching or rolling motions of said offloading buoy while reducing stress transferred to said submerged pipeline terminating device,
• wherein, said submerged pipeline terminating device includes a buoyancy chamber that can be ballasted with water so that said pipeline terminating device can sink to a submerged position with support from said flexible support leads.