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US 7,077,071 B2Granted
Double-hull ore carrying vessel conversion from single-hull oil tanker and method of performing the same
OwnerRichard W. Neuinventor
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OwnerRichard W. Neuinventor
Estimating the term…
A method for converting a single-hull vessel to a double hull vessel, and the converted double hull vessel, is disclosed. The single hull vessel to be converted has an outer hull surrounding a center cargo tank flanked by a port wing tank and a starboard wing tank, with spaced-apart transverse bulkheads extending between the port and starboard wing tanks to form one or more central tanks. An elevated floor is added to the central cargo tanks by installing new bottom plating spanning the transverse bulkheads and the sidewalls of the wing tanks. Support members are added to increase the strength of the elevated floor, the cargo tank, and the wing tanks, as needed. A sealed compartment is formed by the new elevated floor, the outer hull, and the sidewalls and bulkheads to protect the cargo from leaking out of the vessel should the integrity of the single hull be breached. The method achieves conversion of the single hull vessel to a double hull construction without breaching the integrity of the pre-existing single outer hull, and thus is faster and easier in converting single hull vessels to minimize cost of conversion and vessel outage.
A vessel converted from a single outer hull construction with a spanning, single elevation, pre-located, topside deck into a double hull construction without alteration of the single outer hull and maintaining the topside deck at a single elevation, said single hull vessel having a central cargo tank flanked on either side by port and starboard wing tanks, said central cargo tank being defined by pre-located port and pre-located starboard sidewalls and pre-located fore and aft transverse bulkheads, and an added elevated floor in said central cargo tank, said elevated floor spanning said pre-located sidewalls and said pre-located bulkheads to define within said outer hull a sealed compartment separating the central cargo tank from the outer hull, said spanning elevated floor being of substantially a single elevation and substantially parallel to said spanning topside deck and substantially the same width as a width of the central cargo tank;
A vessel converted from a single outer hull construction with a spanning, single elevation, pre-located, topside deck into a double hull construction without alteration of the outer hull and maintaining the topside deck at a single elevation, said single hull vessel having a central cargo tank flanked on either side by pre-located port and starboard wing tanks, each of said wing tanks having pre-located internal longitudinal bulkheads defining the sidewalls of the central cargo tank, wherein said vessel is converted into double hull construction solely by adding an elevated floor spanning said sidewalls to define a sealed compartment separating the central cargo tank from the single hull, said spanning elevated floor being of substantially a single elevation and substantially parallel to said spanning topside deck and substantially the same width as a width of the central cargo tank;
A method for converting a vessel from a single outer hull construction with a spanning, single elevation, pre-located, topside deck into a double hull construction without alteration of the single outer hull and maintaining the topside deck at a single elevation, said single hull vessel having a central cargo tank flanked on either side by pre-located port and pre-located starboard wing tanks, said central cargo tank being defined by pre-located port and pre-located starboard sidewalls and fore and aft transverse bulkheads, the method comprising adding an elevated floor in said central cargo tank, said elevated floor spanning said pre-located sidewalls and said pre-located bulkheads to define with said outer hull a sealed compartment separating the central cargo tank from the outer hull, said spanning elevated floor being of substantially a single elevation and substantially parallel to said spanning topside deck and substantially the same width as a width of the central cargo tank;
A vessel converted from a tanker vessel with a single hull construction and a spanning, single elevation, pre-located, topside deck into a bulk cargo carrying vessel with a double hull construction without alteration of said single outer hull and maintaining the topside deck at a single elevation, said single hull vessel having a central cargo tank flanked on either side by pre-located port and pre-located starboard wing tanks, each of said wing tanks having internal longitudinal bulkheads defining the sidewalls of the central cargo tank, wherein said vessel is converted into said bulk cargo carrying vessel with double hull construction by adding an elevated floor spanning said pre-located sidewalls to define a sealed compartment separating the central cargo tank from the single hull and by adding a hatch opening in a pre-located topside deck of the vessel above the central cargo tank to provide access to the central cargo tank, said hatch opening having a peripheral edge spaced away from and inboard of the longitudinal bulkheads of said central cargo tank so that said hatch opening and said pre-located topside deck remain substantially at a single elevation with minimal degradation of structural integrity of said topside deck;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.