Claims
- 1. An improved vessel mooring system including a vessel having product lines thereon which extend to a storage are of the vessel and a plurality of improved dual function mooring lines connected to said vessel and anchored to the sea floor for maintaining the vessel at a predetermined location, said plurality of dual function mooring lines functioning simultaneously partially to moor the vessel in combination with other dual function mooring lines and to provide a fluid product flowline between the vessel and the sea bed,
- each of said dual function mooring lines being tubular in shape and designed and arranged to provide a fluid flow path within its tubular shape, each of said dual function mooring lines having a lower end extending to the sea floor and anchored thereto and being in fluid communication with a subsea fluid product installation at the sea floor and having an upper end coupled with a product line at said vessel whereby each of said mooring lines simultaneously functions at least partially to moor said vessel and to transfer fluid product between said subsea fluid product installation and said storage area of said vessel.
- 2. The improved system of claim 1 wherein:
- a turret is rotationally coupled to said vessel and disposed within a vertical opening of the vessel, said turret including a plurality of conduits disposed thereon each of which is in fluid communication with a product line on said vessel, each of said dual function mooring lines secured to said turret to at least partially moor said vessel to the sea floor, each of said dual function mooring lines having a fluid coupling to said conduit of said turret.
- 3. The improved system in claim 1 wherein:
- a securing collar is mounted about said dual function mooring line adjacent the sea floor; and
- an anchor means on said sea floor is connected to the securing collar for maintaining said dual function mooring line thereon, said dual function mooring line extending from said anchor means to said subsea fluid product installation for the supply of product thereat.
- 4. The improved system of claim 1 wherein:
- said dual function mooring line has an annular wall including a plurality of thermoplastic layers and a plurality of steel layers separating said thermoplastic layers.
- 5. The improved system of claim 4 wherein:
- said plurality of steel layers are characterized by a plurality of spirally wound interlocking steel strands.
- 6. The improved system of claim 4 wherein:
- a hydraulic fluid line is positioned within said dual function mooring line.
- 7. The improved system of claim 1 wherein:
- an electrical cable is positioned within said dual function mooring line.
- 8. An improved mooring arrangement for a vessel comprising:
- a mooring structure rotationally coupled with said vessel,
- a plurality of flexible tubular dual function mooring lines connected to said mooring structure and having lower end portions extending to subsea production facilities on a sea floor for fluid communication of product between said subsea production facilities and said mooring structure, and
- anchor means for anchoring said lower end portions of said plurality of dual function mooring lines to said sea floor for transmitting of mooring loads from said mooring structure to said sea floor through said mooring lines for mooring of said mooring structure.
- 9. The improved mooring arrangement of claim 8 wherein:
- product lines on said vessel are in fluid communication with said mooring lines on said mooring structure to storage areas in said vessel for the transport of product to said storage areas.
- 10. The improved mooring arrangement of claim 9 wherein:
- a support collar is mounted about each dual function mooring line adjacent the sea floor; and
- said anchor means are anchored to the sea floor and connected to said support collars for anchoring the mooring lines to said sea floor.
- 11. The improved mooring arrangement of claim 8 wherein:
- each of said dual function mooring lines has an annular wall including a plurality of thermoplastic layers and a plurality of spirally wound steel layers separating said thermoplastic layers.
- 12. An improved mooring arrangement of claim 8 wherein:
- a hydraulic fluid line is positioned within at least one of said tubular mooring lines.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATION
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/020,005 filed Jun. 21, 1996 and entitled Mooring Lines For Storage Vessels.
US Referenced Citations (20)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
83688 |
Jun 1980 |
JPX |