Dynamic positioning dock-loading buoy (DPDL-buoy) and method for use of such a DPDL-buoy

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6485343
  • Patent Number
    6,485,343
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, June 29, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, November 26, 2002
    22 years ago
Abstract
A loading device for marine transfer of fluids, via a flexible loading hose, from a petroleum production platform to an ordinary tanker vessel has a main hull which includes a submerged hull and a structure resting on the submerged hull an rising above the waterline. A loading hose is arranged in a crane boom and is connected upstream to the flexible hose and arranged for transferring fluid to the tanker vessel. The loading device further includes fixed contact surfaces having upwards directed surfaces on the submerged hull. The submerged hull is arranged for being ballasted and deballa ted for docking towards the bottom of the tanker vessel's hull, using direct contact friction. A power device is arranged for moving the loading device into and out of a catching position with the tanker vessel, and is arranged for controlling the position of the tanker vessel during the operation of fluid transfer.
Description




CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS




This application claims priority to Norvegian patent application Serial No. 1999.3251, filed Jun. 29, 1999.




STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT




Not applicable.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




This invention relates to a surface loading buoy for transfer of petroleum cargo to an ordinary tanker vessel.




From the source or the upstream side the floating loading buoy receives the petroleum cargo from a petroleum production platform or ship via a flexible loading hose with an electrical (umbilical) cable. The floating loading buoy may possibly receive the petroleum cargo via a submerged loading buoy, e.g., a so-called STL-buoy from the upstream side. The invention comprises a surface loading buoy being arranged for connecting itself to ordinary tanker vessels, and to transfer the cargo directly to, ordinary tanker vessels. From these properties an abbreviation arises, which hereafter will be applied for a preferred embodiment of the invention, a DPDL-buoy: Dynamic Positioning Dock Loading buoy. The loading buoy, according to the preferred embodiment of the invention, is locked to the tanker vessel and takes over the dynamic position control over the vessel. The positioning control is conducted either by means of thrusters and dynamic positioning, or alternatively conducted by using the mooring system of a submerged turret loading buoy (STL-buoy) which normally is moored with a circular-spread anchor line system. Taking the control over the tanker vessel and conducting the position control can take place by a combination where the floating loading buoy, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, picks up and hooks on to a tanker vessel and conducts a takeover of the physical control of it by means of the buoy's thrusters, and thereafter it transfers the petroleum cargo from the STL-buoy via the DPDL-buoy to the tanker vessel. In an alternative preferred embodiment of the invention, the DPDL-buoy commands an STL-buoy to dock into an STL-dock in the bottom of the DPDL-buoy, and transfers the cargo.




2. Description of the Related Art




A side elevation view of parts of a tanker vessel


200


is shown in

FIG. 3

, and a simple cross-section of hull


210


and tanks are shown in FIG.


1


. Ordinary tanker vessels


200


usually have a pipeline system for loading and offloading petroleum cargo with the vessel being loaded and unloaded via a midship manifold


230


directed out towards the hull's side on the deck


220


of the tanker vessel. Such an arrangement is not normally directly applicable for offloading petroleum cargo from a floating loading buoy in the open sea, without making essential modifications. If the tanker vessel


200


becomes lying in a disadvantageous attitude with respect to the combined wind- and wave direction, it encounters strong side forces and it may show impossible to keep the vessel in position even though it may be provided with dynamic positioning systems (“DP”). Further, a floating loading buoy's anchor lines normally are dimensioned to keep the buoy itself in a fixed position with respect to wind, waves and current, and may be also a tanker vessel if the tanker vessel is lying directed with the bow on the weather. The mooring lines are normally not dimensioned to keep a tanker vessel lying across the weather's direction. Such loading buoys may comprise systems for transfer of cargo via fixed pipes or floating loading hoses running from the loading buoy to the bow


213


of the tanker vessel


200


, with mooring lines between the loading buoy's and the tanker vessel's respective starboard and port sides.




Floating production, storage, and offloading vessels (FPSO-vessels)


300


are also known, with cargo transfer of petroleum happening via a floating loading hose arranged between starboard or port side of the FPSO's stem, to the corresponding starboard or port midship manifold


230


with a manifold connector


337


on an ordinary tanker vessel


200


. Damage and wear of such floating loading hoses are well known to people skilled in the art.




Submerged Turret Loading (STL)—buoys


331


are well known and are used for transferring cargo from a petroleum source


300


to a tanker vessel


200


. The STL-buoy normally is arranged at the end of an STL-umbilical


332


which may comprise a loading hose or a riser pipe. The STL-buoy is adapted to be arranged at a distance below the sea surface to be raised as a plug for insertion into a corresponding STL-dock


233


arranged through the bottom


212


′ of a specially adapted (modified) STL tanker vessel


200


′, and with the STL-buoy at the same time being connected to a connector of a manifold coupled to pipelines leading to tanks on board the STL-tanker vessel


200


′. STL-buoys usually are moored by means of at least eight anchor lines (


340


) arranged with anchors around the periphery. By means of the anchor lines


340


the STL-buoy


331


is kept in its position, and the vessel may normally lie freely pivotable in the STL-buoy


33




1


. By means of ordinary STL-buoys a wire system on the tanker vessel is normally required for connecting to the STL-buoy, and communication devices for controlling the submergence and rise of the STL-buoy. Further it is required that the tanker vessel is specially designed with the particular STL-dock


333


having a shape of an inverted funnel-shaped vertical pipe channel arranged through the bottom of the vessel, ahead of midship of the tanker vessel


200


′. The STL-dock is arranged for receiving and holding the STL-buoy, and is provided with connectors for the petroleum conductor in the STL-buoy, valves, valve control, and a pipe manifold arranged at the receiving part. The pipe manifold is connected to one or more pipelines leading to petroleum tanks in the tanker vessel. One problem in the known art is thus that such an STL-dock must be arranged in all dedicated vessels which are to receive an STL-buoy. This incurs huge costs in installing this equipment on tanker vessels


200


′ during construction of new vessels


200


′ or for refitting of ordinary tanker vessels


200


.




BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The invention is constituted by a loading device for marine transfer of fluids via a flexible hose which preferably also has an electrical cable for power supply to the loading device, preferably petroleum fluid from an upstream source, e.g. a petroleum production platform, to an ordinary tanker vessel, and with a main hull comprising an underwater part and a part above the surface with a loading hose in a crane boom, arranged for transferring petroleum cargo from the flexible hose to the tanker vessel via the loading device. What is particular for the invention comprises the following features:




fixed contact surfaces constituted by the top surfaces of a longship pontoon and an athwartships pontoon respectively, arranged for being ballasted and deballasted for docking, by direct friction contact with the tanker vessel's hull, preferably against the outer side of the tanker ship's bottom, and




power devices arranged to move the loading device to and from a catching/holding position with the tanker vessel, and arranged for essentially controlling the position of the tanker vessel during the petroleum transfer operation.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

shows a section from port to starboard of a tanker vessel and an outline and partial section through a loading buoy according to the invention.





FIG. 2

is a deck plan or an outline of the loading buoy as seen from above.





FIG. 3

is a side elevation view from the port side and a partial section of the loading buoy and a side elevation view of a part of a tanker vessel.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




Advantages of the Invention.




The advantage of the invention is that one may use ordinary tanker vessels to take off the production offshore and that one thereby saves the cost of constructing dedicated offshore tanker vessels. Thereby ordinary tanker vessels which might be available for commission may appear by the loading buoy to receive cargo. The invention is particularly applicable in waters offshore West Africa and Brazil, and in the Gulf of Mexico, where it may be desirable to tanker tonnage which is not among dedicated offshore tanker vessels, but the invention may also be applicable in other sea areas. Additional features by the invention is that one does not need the specially constructed tonnage in the form of production storage tanks at the production platform or a conventional production vessel, but may load the produced petroleum directly over to ordinary tanker vessels. Further, the loading operation will be conducted in a safer way because the entire control over the tanker vessel and the loading buoy is gathered in the operation room or the pilothouse on board the loading buoy, and that the tanker vessel is passively guided by the loading buoy. In this way, some possibilities of misunderstanding between the parties during the load transfer are removed. The risk of collision between the loading buoy and the tanker vessel when load transfer has been initiated is eliminated.




DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT




With reference to

FIG. 1

a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated. A loading device


100


for marine transfer of fluids via a flexible hose


132


,


332


which preferably also has an electrical cable for power supply to the loading device


100


, preferably for petroleum load from an upstream source, e.g. a petroleum production platform


300


, to an ordinary tanker vessel


200


. Such a flexible hose


132


,


332


is often called an “umbilical.” The loading device has a main hull


110


comprising an underwater part


111


,


112


and a part


121


,


123


above the water line, and is under some circumstances a surface vessel. One may see from

FIG. 3

that a loading hose


130


is arranged on the deck of the loading device


100


, the loading hose being arranged in a crane boom


134


and arranged from transferring petroleum cargo from the flexible hose


132


,


332


to the tanker vessel


200


via the loading device


100


. This crane boom


134


is arranged for being rotated away from the tanker vessel


200


approaching the loading device


100


during the coupling in order to avoid collision between the crane boom


134


and the tanker vessel


200


. The crane boom with corresponding equipment will be further explained later.




The novel and distinguishing features of the preferred embodiment of the invention is the following:




*The loading device


100


has fixed contact surfaces


118


′,


119


comprised by the top surfaces of a longship pontoon


118


and an athwartships pontoon


119


respectively, both arranged for being ballasted and deballasted for docking, by direct friction contact with the tanker vessel's


200


hull


210


, preferably toward the outside


212


of the tanker vessel's bottom.





FIG. 2

shows in deck plan outline of the loading device a very large cross illustrating the contact surfaces


118


′,


119


′. These contact surfaces may in a preferred embodiment comprise rubber or synthetic packer with a high friction coefficient in water, which is able to constitute the contact surface of the top of the longship pontoon


118


and the athwartships pontoon


119


towards the tanker vessel's


200


bottom


212


. After contact is established between the contact surfaces


118


′,


119


′ and the tanker vessel bottom


212


, an estimated


500


tons further deballasting of the loading device


100


is needed to create the needed friction contact holding force against the tanker vessel bottom. If the friction coefficient N is approximately equal to unity one may thereby achieve


500


tons horizontal holding force between the loading device


100


and the tanker vessel


200


. The large extension of the cross constituted by the contact surfaces


118


′ and


119


′ is important also due to the fact that the contact surfaces shall transfer a rotation moment from thrusters (described below) of the loading device to the tanker vessel


200


.




*The loading device


100


is provided with power devices


151


,


153


,


154


arranged to move the loading device


100


to and from a contact position with the tanker vessel


200


. The power devices are also arranged for essentially controlling the tanker vessel's


200


position during the petroleum cargo transfer operation. The energy for the power devices


151


,


153


,


154


and the ballast pumps is according to the preferred embodiment transferred by means of the flexible hose's


132


,


332


above mentioned electrical cable. One of the main purposes of the invention is that with this minimum configuration the loading device


100


is capable of attaching to an ordinary tanker vessel


200


and to gain control over and position the tanker vessel


200


dynamically while the loading device


100


also fills (loads) the ordinary tanker vessel


200


with the liquid cargo which it is supplied with from flexible hose


132


or


332


. Several advantageous details of the device are described below.




In the most preferred embodiment of the invention the loading device comprises the following power devices:




An inner longship thruster


151


arranged for exerting force in the loadship direction of the tanker vessel


200


, preferably as a replacement for the force from the tanker vessel's main propeller


251


. The inner longship thruster


151


is arranged with power action along the tanker vessel's


200


longship direction. The result of this is that the force from the tanker vessel's


200


main propeller


251


may be reduced to a minimum, or entirely halted, so that the tanker vessel's


200


propeller


251


may be disregarded during the dynamic positioning of the loading device


100


when it is coupled to the tanker vessel


200


. This makes the DP and cargo transfer operation more certainly achieved, and with improved safety. (A longship directed thruster may also be arranged on the center hull


111


of the loading device


100


, but this may entail torsion of the coupled vessels because it would reside outside of the tanker vessel's


200


centerline. Such an outer longship directed thruster would be able to additionally provide a rotation force on the loading device and its coupled tanker vessel, but it would increase the construction, maintenance and running costs and is thus not illustrated in the drawings).





FIG. 3

illustrates in side elevation view the loading device equipped with bow


153


and stern


154


athwartships thrusters respectively, arranged by or under a bow


113


and stem


114


columns respectively. The bow and stem athwartships thrusters


153


,


154


are both arranged for directing forces, independently of each other, in the side directions with respect to the loading device


100


and thereby also with respect to the tanker vessel


200


while coupled together. The athwartships thrusters


153


and


154


are preferably arranged to replace the forces from sidewards directed tanker vessel thrusters (


250


) and tank ship rudder (


254


), thus capable of giving the tanker vessel (


200


) the best direction of encounter with current and waves.




The best mode to exert to the upwards directed vertical pressure force towards the tanker vessel bottom with the contact surfaces


118


′,


119


′ is to use ballast controlled longship bulkhead pontoons


118


and at least one athwartships bulkhead pontoon


119


which support the contact surfaces


118


′ and


119


′ respectively. These longships bulkhead pontoons are arranged in an inner athwartships hull


112




i


arranged to be pushed in under the tanker vessel's


200


bottom surface


212


. In the most preferred embodiment of the invention the longship bulkhead pontoon


118


with the contact surface


118


′ is arranged exactly under and along the lower baseline for one of the tanker vessel's


200


longship bulkhead plates


218


. The athwartships bulkhead pontoon


119


shall be arranged exactly under and along the baseline of one of the tanker vessel's


200


athwartships bulkhead plates


219


. The chief in command of the operation of the loading device should in due time before the docking of the loading device


100


against the tanker vessel


200


acquire certain information of the exact position of the tanker vessel's athwartships bulkhead plates afore midship. In a practical embodiment this may be conducted by a direct markup of the athwartships bulkhead plate of the tanker vessel


200


to be used, directly on the ship's side or on the deck over the athwartships bulkhead plate. (Alternatively, an ultrasound sonde may be applied on the tanker vessel's


200


hull in order to find a bulkhead plate's baseline or contact with the outer skin). It is also essential to the tanker vessel's mechanical or structural integrity that the contact surface


118


′ makes a good fit along the baseline of a longship bulkhead plate


218


on the tank ship bottom


212


. Thus the chief in operation for the loading device must also acquire certain information about how far in from the ship's side the longship bulkhead


218


is situated. These longship bulkheads


218


may in ordinary tanker vessels


200


be arranged approximately as indicated by broken lines in

FIG. 1

, or as a centered longship bulkhead in smaller tanker vessels.




It is possible to make embodiments of the submerged hull's part with contact surfaces having many different outlines, but the preferred embodiment comprises an athwartships hull


112


comprising the inner athwartships hull


112




i


and an oppositely directed outer athwartships hull


112




o


. The length of the inner athwartships hull


112




i


should be at least as long as may be expected to be the half-width of a tanker vessel


200


. A corresponding but rather shorter extent should be calculated for the oppositely directed outer athwartships hull


112




o.






A central hull


111


arranged perpendicularly of the athwartships hull


112


and thus longship with respect to the tanker vessel


200


, is designed for being aligned along the tanker vessel's


200


ship side


217


upon docking and during the entire cargo transfer. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the central hull


111


is essentially higher than the athwartships hull


112


, but has its bottom surface in the same level as the athwartships hull


112


. Thus the central hull contributes an essential part of the loading device's


100


displacement and buoyancy force in a semisubmerged position. The side surface of the central hull towards the tanker vessel constitutes, together with the bow column


113


, the central column


117


and the stem column


114


and the upper longship pontoon, a large vertical plane frame wall constituting a plane contact surface for placement near the ships side


217


on coupling to the tanker vessel. This plane contact surface is essentially perpendicular to the preferably horizontal plane constituted by the contact surfaces


118


′ and


119


′. Separation or thickness adjustable fenders (not illustrated) are arranged to form a desired distance between the central hull


111


and the ships side


217


of the tanker vessel


200


. No distance adjustment pieces for the contact surfaces


118


′ and


119


′ are necessary because the loading device


100


may be ballasted to the correct submergence depth. Ordinary mooring hawsers (not illustrated) may be arranged between the tanker vessel


200


and the central hull


111


during the cargo transfer operation, but mooring hawsers are in principle not needed.




The extent of the athwartships hull


112


contributes with two essential advantageous properties: the loading device has a large width. This large width contributes to the stability of the loading device, particularly when it is in the transition phase between an upper stable situation of entirely floating on the athwartships hull


112


and the central hull


111


, and a semisubmerged stable situation of floating on two pontoons; one upper athwartships pontoon


123


extending from the central column


117


to the outer balancing column


115


, and another upper longships pontoon


121


extending over the bow column


113


, the central column


117


, and the stem column


114


. The other advantage is that the inner longship thruster


151


which is arranged on the extreme end (inner end with respect to the tanker vessel


200


, ref.

FIG. 1

) may be placed far in under the tank ship bottom


212


. The central hull's large extent, comparable with a tank ship's width, is essential in order to generate a large torsion moment from the two power devices


153


and


154


about a vertical axis through the loading device


100


.




The loading device has in the preferred embodiment a bow column


113


arranged in the bow end of the central hull


111


, and a stem column


114


arranged in the stem end of the central hull


111


. A central column


117


erects over the crossing area of the central hull


111


and the athwartships hull


112


. The central column is essential for a load stable preferred embodiment of the load device


100


having the inlet for the flexible hose


132


,


332


arranged centrally in the bottom of the central column


117


. This will be explained below. An outer balancing column


115


is arranged near the outer end of the outer athwartships hull


112




o


. Using columns between the submerged part


111


,


112


and the part above the sea comprising an upper longship deck


120


, an upper athwartships deck


112


and the crane boom


134


, has two immediate advantages: the small cross-section area of the columns


113


,


114


,


115


, and


117


makes a small change of ballast volume constitute a large change of draught for the athwartships hull


112


. Thus the draught of the loading device may be rapidly adjusted.




Ballasting or deballasting is necessary to bring the contact surfaces


118


,


119


′ to a correct depth, deeper than the draught of the tanker vessel's


100


bottom


212


, before the athwartships thrusters


153


,


154


push the inner athwartships hull


112




i


with the longship bulkhead pontoon


118


and the athwartships bulkhead pontoon


119


in position under the tank ship's bottom


212


. Continuous adjustment of the ballast in the loading device


100


is necessary due to adaptation with respect to the tanker vessel's


100


draught during cargo transfer to the tanker vessel


100


in every intermediate positions between the shallow position with the tanker vessel floating high and ballasted, and with empty cargo tanks, to the deep draught position with full cargo tanks, and usually empty ballast tanks.




In the preferred embodiment with the columns


113


,


114


,


115


, and


117


the loading device is a kind of semisubmersible vessel. When the water crosses only the columns


113


,


114


,


115


, and


117


, the loading device will be little affected by surface waves within a wide range of wave periods or frequencies, due to a low ratio between the total waterline area and the total mass, in the same way as for semisubmersible drilling and production platforms. In this position the vessel may however be vulnerable due to reduced stability compared to the situation with the vessel only floating on the central hull


11


and the athwartships hull


112


. As a safety precaution with regard to conditions where such stability is essential, we have arranged an upper longships pontoon


121


extending between the upper ends of the bow column


113


, the central column


117


, and the stem column


114


, with the top of the longship pontoon


121


constituting a longship deck


120


. An upper athwartships pontoon


123


extends between the central column


117


and the outer balancing column


115


constituting a bridge construction having an athwartships deck


122


as its top surface. The longship deck


120


and the athwartships deck


122


are necessary as work decks and to carry swivels, winches, craned and other deck equipment described below. A square frame comprising outer head (bow) pontoon stay beam


115




b


, outer stern pontoon stay beam


115




s


, inner head pontoon stay beam


116




b


, and inner stem pontoon stay beam


116




s


is arranged in the lower level for two purposes: to stiffen up the ends of the cross constituted by the central hull


111


and the athwartships hull


112


, and to constitute buoyancy or ballast tanks respectively. In a preferred embodiment there may also be arranged horizontal stay beams in the deck level between the bow column


113


and the balancing column


115


, and also between the balancing column


115


and the stern column


114


.




The inner longship thruster


151


may be rotatable between a longship direction and a vertical direction about an inner longship thruster axial sleeve bearing


152


arranged with its axis along an athwartships horizontal axis.




The bow athwartships thruster


153


and the stern athwartships thruster


154


are in a preferred embodiment rotatable about a head athwartships thruster rotation sleeve bearing


156


and a stern athwartships thruster axial rotation sleeve bearing


157


. This makes rotation possible to a position where they in ensemble may contribute to a force assisting the longship thruster


151


with a force directed in the longship direction of the tanker vessel


200


.




In a preferred embodiment the crane boom


134


is arranged rotatable in the vertical plane on a rotating tower


131


near the stern column


114


, preferably on a crane tailwing


125


, having a vertical rotation tower axis


131


′arranged axially with the axis in a vertical axis swivel


131




s


and with a telescope boom


135


, a flexible hose part or a telescope pipe


136


arranged to follow the changes of length of the telescope boom


135


, and a loading hose bulkhead


137


arranged to be connected to a manifold connector


237


of a midship manifold


230


of the tanker vessel


200


. The crane boom


134


should be swung out from the ship's side


217


before coupling together of the loading device


100


and the tanker vessel


200


in order to avoid collision. In the same way, the crane boom


134


should be swung out from the ship's side


217


before disconnecting the loading device, due to the same reason.




In a most preferred embodiment of the invention, the flexible hose


132


,


332


connecting the loading device with the upstream petroleum source


300


is led through the bottom of the central column


117


and fluid connected with the loading hose


130


.




In a somewhat less stable alternative embodiment the flexible hose


132


which connects the loading device with the upstream petroleum source


300


is led via a swivel


139


on a wing on the upper athwart hull deck


122


by the outer balancing column


115


.




In an alternatively preferred embodiment of the invention the loading device


100


constitutes an adapter for use of an STL-buoy


331


to conventional tanker vessel


200


, where an STL-dock


133


is arranged in the bottom of the loading device


100


in the lower end of the central column


117


. This dock is in this embodiment indicated by the widening in the lower part of the central column


117


which may be seen in all of

FIGS. 1

,


2


, and


3


. The STL-dock


133


is as in the known art arranged to receive and connect to a fluid channel


338


on the STL-buoy


331


, and having an anchoring swivel (not illustrated) arranged to pivotally receive the mooring forces from the STL-buoy's


331


anchor lines


340


, so that the STL-buoy


331


and its flexible hose


332


constitutes the flexible hose


132


. A winch


138


is arranged to draw or guide the STL-buoy


331


into the STL-dock


133


. To facilitate coupling between the tanker vessel


200


and the loading device


100


, the loading device may release the STL-buoy


331


from the STL-dock


133


, and thereafter pick up the tanker vessel


200


and bring this to the correct position by means of the DP devices for docking of the STL-buoy in the STL-dock


133


. In addition the tanker vessel


200


is rotated to a favorable direction with respect to wind, waves and current.




A preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a pilothouse


170


on a pilothouse tower


173


, preferably having a control or operation


171


arranged for dynamic positioning of the vessels, control and surveillance of the docking or coupling and cargo transfer operation between the loading device


100


and the tanker vessel (


200


), with a radar


176


in a radar mast


175


. The pilothouse


170


and/or the operation room should be arranged with an elevation high enough that the pilot of the loading device


100


should be allowed to see above the tanker vessel's


200


bulwark


273


in the bow part


213


. There may also be arranged sensors


177


for measuring distances between the loading device


100


and the tanker vessel


200


in order to better guide the coupling together and disconnection operations.




End Notes




Such an embodiment as described above may naturally also be applied for offloading tanker vessels in areas where this is found practical. Suction devices, magnets and other attachment devices may be imagined to replace or supplement the friction contact surfaces


118


,


119


contact force which here has been described by means of deballasting. In the same manner one may imagine a square-shaped underwater part (the pontoon stay beams may e.g. be made with a larger square section) instead of the cross shape constituted by the central hull


111


and the athwartships hull


112


. The invention is described in a non-limiting example, and people skilled in the art would be able to describe obvious improvements of the invention without necessarily being outside the scope of the invention, and which should be defined by the attached patent claims.



Claims
  • 1. A loading device for marine transfer of fluids via a flexible hose from a petroleum production platform to an ordinary tanker vessel, the tanker vessel including a hull having a bottom surface and longship bulkheads and athwartship bulkheads, the loading device comprising:a main hull including a submerged hull and a structure rising above the waterline and resting on the submerged hull, the submerged hull including an inner athwartships hull arranged for being pushed in under the bottom surface of the tanker vessel hull, and including upwards directed contact surfaces, the submerged hull being arranged for being ballasted and deballasted for docking towards the bottom surface of the tanker vessel hull using direct contact friction; a loading hose arranged in a crane boom supported by the main hull, the loading hose being connected upstream to the flexible hose and arranged for transferring fluid to the tanker vessel; power devices arranged for moving the loading device into and out of a catching position with the tanker vessel, and arranged to control the tanker vessel's position during the operation of fluid transfer; and ballast controlled pontoons supporting the submerged hull, wherein the ballast controlled pontoons include: a longship bulkhead pontoon arranged for being placed under and along a baseline of one of the tanker vessel's longship bulkheads, and an athwartship bulkhead pontoon arranged for being placed under and along a baseline of one of the tanker vessel's athwartships bulkheads.
  • 2. A loading device for marine transfer of fluids via a flexible hose from a petroleum production platform to an ordinary tanker vessel, the tanker vessel including a hull having a bottom surface and longship bulkheads and athwartship bulkheads, the loading device comprising:a main hull including a submerged hull and a structure rising above the waterline and resting on the submerged hull, the submerged hull comprising an athwartship hull comprising the inner athwartships hull arranged for being pushed in under the bottom surface of the tanker vessel hull, and an oppositely directed outer athwartships hull, and including upwards directed contact surfaces, the submerged hull being arranged for being ballasted and deballasted for docking towards the bottom surface of the tanker vessel hull using direct contact friction; a loading hose arranged in a crane boom supported by the main hull, the loading hose being connected upstream to the flexible hose and arranged for transferring fluid to the tanker vessel; power devices arranged for moving the loading device into and out of a catching position with the tanker vessel, and arranged to control the tanker vessel's position during the operation of fluid transfer; ballast controlled pontoons supporting the submerged hull, wherein the ballast controlled pontoons include: a longship bulkhead pontoon arranged for being placed under and along a baseline of one of the tanker vessel's longship bulkheads, and an athwartship bulkhead pontoon arranged for being placed under and along a baseline of one of the tanker vessel's athwartships bulkheads; and a central hull arranged perpendicularly relative to the athwartships hull, the central hull arranged for being placed along the side of the tanker vessel.
  • 3. A loading device for marine transfer of fluids via a flexible hose from a petroleum production platform to an ordinary tanker vessel, the tanker vessel including a hull having a bottom surface and longship bulkheads and athwartship bulkheads, the loading device comprising:a main hull including a submerged hull and a structure rising above the waterline and resting on the submerged hull, the submerged hull comprising an athwartship hull comprising the inner athwartships hull arranged for being pushed in under the bottom surface of the tanker vessel hull, and an oppositely directed outer athwartships hull, and including upwards directed contact surfaces, the submerged hull being arranged for being ballasted and deballasted for docking towards the bottom surface of the tanker vessel hull using direct contact friction; a loading hose arranged in a crane boom supported by the main hull, the loading hose being connected upstream to the flexible hose and arranged for transferring fluid to the tanker vessel; power devices arranged for moving the loading device into and out of a catching position with the tanker vessel, and arranged to control the tanker vessel's position during the operation of fluid transfer; ballast controlled pontoons supporting the submerged hull, wherein the ballast controlled pontoons include: a longship bulkhead pontoon arranged for being placed under and along a baseline of one of the tanker vessel's longship bulkheads, and an athwartship bulkhead pontoon arranged for being placed under and along a baseline of one of the tanker vessel's athwartships bulkheads; a central hull arranged perpendicularly relative to the athwartships hull, the central hull arranged for being placed along the side of the tanker vessel; a bow column arranged near the bow end of the central hull; a stem column arranged near the stem end of the central hull; an outer balancing column arranged near the outer end of the outer athwartships hull; and a central column erected over the crossing area of the central hull and the athwartship hull.
  • 4. The loading device of claim 3, wherein the crane boom is rotatable in the vertical plane and arranged on a rotating tower near the stern column, on a tail crane wing, the rotating tower having a vertical rotation axis axially arranged with the axis of a vertical axial swivel and further including a loading hose bulkhead arranged for being connected to a manifold connector of a midship manifold on the tanker vessel.
  • 5. The loading device of claim 4, wherein the crane boom is telescopic and further including a flexible hose part arranged for following changes in length of the telescopic crane boom.
  • 6. The loading device of claim 4, wherein the crane boom is telescopic and further including a telescopic pipe arranged for following changes in length of the telescopic crane boom.
  • 7. A loading device for marine transfer of fluids via a flexible hose from a petroleum production platform to an ordinary tanker vessel, the tanker vessel including a hull having a bottom surface and longship bulkheads and athwartship bulkheads, the loading device comprising:a main hull including a submerged hull and a structure rising above the waterline and resting on the submerged hull, the submerged hull comprising an athwartship hull comprising the inner athwartships hull arranged for being pushed in under the bottom surface of the tanker vessel hull, and an oppositely directed outer athwartships hull, and including upwards directed contact surfaces, the submerged hull being arranged for being ballasted and deballasted for docking towards the bottom surface of the tanker vessel hull using direct contact friction; a loading hose arranged in a crane boom supported by the main hull, the loading hose being connected upstream to the flexible hose and arranged for transferring fluid to the tanker vessel; power devices arranged for moving the loading device into and out of a catching position with the tanker vessel, and arranged to control the tanker vessel's position during the operation of fluid transfer; ballast controlled pontoons supporting the submerged hull, wherein the ballast controlled pontoons include: a longship bulkhead pontoon arranged for being placed under and along a baseline of one of the tanker vessel's longship bulkheads, and an athwartship bulkhead pontoon arranged for being placed under and along a baseline of one of the tanker vessel's athwartships bulkheads; a central hull arranged perpendicularly relative to the athwartships hull, the central hull arranged for being placed along the side of the tanker vessel; a bow column arranged near the bow end of the central hull; a stem column arranged near the stem end of the central hull; an outer balancing column arranged near the outer end of the outer athwartships hull; a central column erected over the crossing area of the central hull and the athwartship hull; an upper longship pontoon extending between the upper ends of the bow column, the central column and the stern column, the upper longship pontoon having an upper longship deck thereon; and an upper athwartship pontoon extending between the central column and the outer balancing column, the upper athwartship pontoon having an upper athwartship deck thereon.
  • 8. The loading device of claim 7, in which the flexible hose connecting the loading device with the petroleum production platform is guided via a swivel on a tail wing on the upper athwartships deck near the outer balancing column.
  • 9. A loading device for marine transfer of fluids via a flexible hose from a petroleum production platform to an ordinary tanker vessel, the tanker vessel including a hull having a bottom surface, the loading devices comprising:a main hull including a submerged hull and a structure rising above the waterline and resting on the submerged hull, the submerged hull including upwards directed contact surfaces and arranged for being ballasted and deballasted for docking towards the bottom surface of the tanker vessel hull using direct contact friction; a loading hose arranged in a crane boom supported by the main hull, the loading hose being connected upstream to the flexible hose and arranged for transferring fluid to the tanker vessel; and power devices arranged for moving the loading device into and out of a catching position with the tanker vessel, and arranged to control the tanker vessel's position during the operation of fluid transfer; and wherein the loading device includes, a bow column and a stem column thereon, and wherein the power devices comprise: an inner longship thruster arranged: for exerting force in the long direction of the tanker vessel; and head and athwarthships thrusters arranged near the bow column and the stem column respectively, and arranged for directing forces in the sideways direction relative to the loading device and the tanker vessel.
  • 10. The loading device of claim 9, wherein the inner longship thruster is rotatable between a longship direction and a vertical direction about an inner longship thruster axial sleeve bearing arranged with its axis along an athwartships horizontal axis.
  • 11. The loading device of claim 9, wherein the head athwartships thruster and the stem athwartships thruster are rotatable about a head athwartships thruster axial sleeve bearing and a stem athwartships thruster axial sleeve bearing, respectively.
  • 12. A loading device for marine transfer of fluids via a flexible hose from a petroleum production platform to an ordinary tanker vessel, the tanker vessel including a hull having a bottom surface, the loading devices comprising:a main hull including a submerged hull and a structure rising above the waterline and resting on the submerged hull, the submerged hull including upwards directed contact surfaces and arranged for being ballasted and deballasted for docking towards the bottom surface of the tanker vessel hull using direct contact friction; a loading hose arranged in a crane boom supported by the main hull, the loading hose being connected upstream to the flexible hose and arranged for transferring fluid to the tanker vessel; and power devices arranged for moving the loading device into and out of a catching position with the tanker vessel, and arranged to control the tanker vessel's position during the operation of fluid transfer; and wherein the loading device is for connection with an STL-buoy having a fluid channel and anchor lines, the loading device further including: an STL-dock disposed in the bottom of the loading device for receiving and connecting to the fluid channel of the STL-buoy; and an anchoring swivel arranged for receiving anchoring forces from the anchor lines of the STL-buoy.
  • 13. A loading device for marine transfer of fluids via a flexible hose from a petroleum production platform to an ordinary tanker vessel, the tanker vessel including a hull having a bottom surface, the loading devices comprising:a main hull including a submerged hull and a structure rising above the waterline and resting on the submerged hull, the submerged hull including upwards directed contact surfaces and arranged for being ballasted and deballasted for docking towards the bottom surface of the tanker vessel hull using direct contact friction; a loading hose arranged in a crane boom supported by the main hull, the loading hose being connected upstream to the flexible hose and arranged for transferring fluid to the tanker vessel; and power devices arranged for moving the loading device into and out of a catching position with the tanker vessel, and arranged to control the tanker vessel's position during the operation of fluid transfer; and further including an electrical cable associated with the flexible hose from the petroleum production platform for supplying power to the loading device.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
993251 Jun 1999 NO
US Referenced Citations (6)
Number Name Date Kind
3490406 O'Reilly et al. Jan 1970 A
3707934 Frankel Jan 1973 A
3741264 Kinoshita Jun 1973 A
3975841 Steenken et al. Aug 1976 A
H001315 Levine Jun 1994 H
5803779 Horton, III Sep 1998 A
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number Date Country
2420026 Mar 1983 DE