Connection arrangement for spider buoy to connector

An improved detachable mooring system for a vessel, said system including a vertically aligned turret which is arranged and designed to be rotatably secured with said vessel such that said vessel and turret can rotate with respect to each other with the bottom end of said turret facing downwardly toward the sea and the system including a buoyant mooring element and a plurality of mooring lines extending between and connected to said mooring element and the sea floor and including a connector assembly mounted at the top of said mooring element and a hydraulically powered selectively operable connector mounted at the bottom of said turret which is arranged and designed for selective connection to said connector assembly, wherein the improvement comprises,

• said buoyant mooring element having a male structure with an outwardly frusto-conically-shaped portion and with a hub mounted on a top end of said male structure,
• said bottom end of said turret having a receiver with a frusto-conical shaped female opening with said hydraulically powered connector mounted to said turret at a top end of said opening,
• said male structure and said receiver being arranged and designed so that when said male structure is pulled up into said female opening, said cylindrical hub enters within said powered connector for selective latching of said connector to said hub,
• an elastomeric seal is disposed in sealing contact between said male structure and said female opening at a location below said hub and above said bottom end of said turret when said hub is latched in said connector, and
• said male structure has a resilient member disposed therein, whereby a force acting on the exterior of said male structure while said male structure is being pulled into said female opening is at least partially absorbed by compression of said resilient member.

An improved detachable mooring system for a vessel, said system including a vertically aligned turret which is arranged and designed to be rotatably secured with said vessel such that said vessel and turret can rotate with respect to each other with the bottom end of said turret facing downwardly toward the sea and the system including a buoyant mooring element and a plurality of mooring lines extending between and connected to said mooring element and the sea floor and including a connector assembly mounted at the top of said mooring element and a hydraulically powered selectively operable connector mounted at the bottom of said turret which is arranged and designed for selective connection to said connector assembly, wherein the improvement comprises,

• said buoyant mooring element having a male structure with an outwardly frusto-conically-shaped portion and with a hub mounted on a top end of said male structure,
• said bottom end of said turret having a receiver with a frusto-conical shaped female opening with said hydraulically powered connector supported from said turret at a top end of said opening,
• said male structure and said female opening being arranged and designed so that when said male structure is pulled up into said female opening, said hub enters within said powered connector for selective structural connection of said connector to said hub, and wherein
• said male structure includes a male structure ring disposed at a bottom end of said upwardly facing frusto-conically shaped portion, said male structure ring including an upwardly facing surface and an outwardly facing surface,
• said bottom end of said turret having a female opening ring disposed about said female opening, said female opening ring including a downwardly facing surface and an inwardly facing surface,
• said male structure ring and said female opening ring being arranged and designed for registration of said upwardly facing surface with said downwardly facing surface and said outwardly facing surface with said inwardly facing surface when said male structure is pulled up into said female opening and said cylindrical hub is connected by said connector.

An improved detachable mooring system for a vessel said system including a vertically aligned turret which is arranged and designed to be rotatably secured with said vessel such that said vessel and turret can rotate with respect to each other with the bottom end of said turret facing downwardly toward the sea and the system including a buoyant mooring element and a plurality of mooring lines extending between and connected to said mooring element and the sea floor and including a connector assembly mounted at the top of said mooring element and a hydraulically powered selectively operable connector mounted at the bottom of said turret which is arranged and designed for selective connection to said connector assembly, wherein the improvement comprises,

• said buoyant mooring element having a first mating structure with a first frusto-conically shaped portion and with a hub mounted on said first mating structure,
• said bottom end of said turret having a second mating structure with a second frusto-conically shaped portion which is arranged and designed to register with said first frusto-conically-shaped portion, with said hydraulically powered connector supported from said second mating structure,
• said first mating structure and said second mating structure being arranged and designed so that when said first mating structure is pulled up into mating relationship with said second mating structure, said hub enters within said powered connector of said second mating structure for selective structural connection of said connector to said hub,
• wherein a resilient member is disposed within at least one of said first mating structure or said second mating structure,
• whereby a force acting on the exterior of said at least one of said first mating structure or said second mating structure while said second mating structure is being pulled into mating relationship with said first mating structure is at least partially absorbed by compression of said resilient member.

An improved detachable mooring system for a vessel, said system including a vertically aligned turret which is arranged and designed to be rotatably secured with said vessel such that said vessel and turret can rotate with respect to each other with the bottom end of said turret facing downwardly toward the sea and the system including a buoyant mooring element and a plurality of mooring lines extending between and connected to said mooring element and the sea floor and including a connector assembly mounted at the top of said mooring element and a hydraulically powered selectively operable connector mounted at the bottom of said turret which is arranged and designed for selective connection to said connector assembly, wherein the improvement comprises,

• said buoyant mooring element having a first mating structure with a first frusto-conically shaped portion and with a hub mounted on said first mating structure,
• said bottom end of said turret having a second mating structure with a second frusto-conically shaped portion which is arranged and designed to register with said first frusto-conically-shaped portion, with said hydraulically powered connector supported from said second mating structure,
• said first mating structure and said second mating structure being arranged and designed so that when said first mating structure is pulled up into mating relationship with said second mating structure, said hub enters within said powered connector of said second mating structure for selective structural connection of said connector to said hub, and wherein
• said first mating structure includes a first structure ring disposed at a bottom end of said upwardly first frusto-conically shaped portion, said first structure ring including an upwardly facing surface and an outwardly facing surface,
• said bottom end of said turret having a second structure ring disposed about said second mating structure, said second structure ring including a downwardly facing surface and an inwardly facing surface,
• said first structure ring and said second structure ring being arranged and designed for registration of said upwardly facing surface with said downwardly facing surface and said outwardly facing surface with said inwardly facing surface when said first mating structure is pulled up into mating relationship with said second mating structure and said cylindrical hub is connected by said connector.