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US 6,276,876 B1Granted
Offshore exploration or production operation
AssigneeBG plc
InventorsDavid Bone, Christopher Heywood, Andrew Patrick Hollis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneeBG plc
InventorsDavid Bone, Christopher Heywood, Andrew Patrick Hollis
Estimating the term…
Apparatus for providing an offshore drilling operation in a sea, the apparatus comprising a drilling derrick support structure (2) having a base (4) to rest on the sea-floor (5) and a deck (7) to support a drilling derrick (1), the structure being in the form of a concrete block (2) having a hollow cavity to enable the block (2) to be floated to the site where drilling is to take place and being adapted to receive ballast into the cavity in such a way and in a sufficient quantity as to cause the block (2) to sink base-first and rest upon the sea-bed with the deck (7) clear of the surface of the sea, a drilling derrick (1) for mounting on the deck (7) of the block (2) and a tender assist barge (3) for transport to the site in down to 2 m of water to provide services, supplies and equipment to the drilling derrick (1).
Apparatus for providing an offshore drilling operation in a shallow sea, the apparatus comprising a drilling derrick support structure in the form of a block having a base to rest on the sea floor and a deck to support a drilling rig, said block having a hollow cavity to enable said support structure to be floated to the site where drilling is to take place and being adapted to receive ballast into said cavity in such a way and in a sufficient quantity as to cause said support structure to sink base first and rest upon the sea floor with said deck clear of the surface of the sea, a drilling derrick for mounting on the deck of the structure and a tender barge adapted for transport to the site in water depths down to 1½ meters to provide services and equipment to the drilling rig.
A method for providing an offshore drilling operation in a sea, the method comprising floating a hollow buoyant drilling rig support structure to a site where drilling is to take place, said structure having a base to rest on the sea floor and a deck spaced from the base sufficiently to support a drilling derrick above sea level when said base is resting on said sea floor, ballasting said support structure sufficiently to cause it to sink so that said base rests on said sea floor and said deck is clear of the surface of the sea, floating a drilling derrick out to said support structure, positioning said derrick on the deck of said support structure and floating a tender barge to said site in water depths down to 1½ meters to provide services and equipment to the drilling derrick.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.