Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B21/00—Tying-up; Shifting, towing, or pushing equipment; Anchoring
  • B63B21/20—Adaptations of chains, ropes, hawsers, or the like, or of parts thereof
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B21/00—Tying-up; Shifting, towing, or pushing equipment; Anchoring
  • B63B21/50—Anchoring arrangements or methods for special vessels, e.g. for floating drilling platforms or dredgers
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B21/00—Tying-up; Shifting, towing, or pushing equipment; Anchoring
  • B63B21/24—Anchors
  • B63B21/26—Anchors securing to bed
  • B63B21/27—Anchors securing to bed by suction
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B27/00—Arrangement of ship-based loading or unloading equipment for cargo or passengers
  • B63B27/30—Arrangement of ship-based loading or unloading equipment for transfer at sea between ships or between ships and off-shore structures
  • B63B27/34—Arrangement of ship-based loading or unloading equipment for transfer at sea between ships or between ships and off-shore structures using pipe-lines
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B59/00—Hull protection specially adapted for vessels; Cleaning devices specially adapted for vessels
  • B63B59/02—Fenders integral with waterborne vessels or specially adapted therefor, e.g. fenders forming part of the hull or incorporated in the hull; Rubbing-strakes
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B21/00—Tying-up; Shifting, towing, or pushing equipment; Anchoring
  • B63B2021/003—Mooring or anchoring equipment, not otherwise provided for
  • B63B2021/005—Resilient passive elements to be placed in line with mooring or towing chains, or line connections, e.g. dampers or springs
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B21/00—Tying-up; Shifting, towing, or pushing equipment; Anchoring
  • B63B21/20—Adaptations of chains, ropes, hawsers, or the like, or of parts thereof
  • B63B2021/203—Mooring cables or ropes, hawsers, or the like; Adaptations thereof
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B35/00—Vessels or similar floating structures specially adapted for specific purposes and not otherwise provided for
  • B63B35/44—Floating buildings, stores, drilling platforms, or workshops, e.g. carrying water-oil separating devices
  • B63B2035/448—Floating hydrocarbon production vessels, e.g. Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessels [FPSO]

Definitions

• Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to a mooring system. More specifically, embodiments disclosed herein relate to a split mooring system to attach to and hold vessels near other vessels in offshore operations.
• offshore vessels such as platform supply vessels (PSV), offshore barges, anchor handling vessels, construction support vessels (CSV), drilling vessels, well intervention vessels, ice breaking vessels, crane vessels, cable laying vessels, seismic vessels, and firefighting vessels, are commonly used for various tasks, including, but not limited to, hydrocarbon exploration, hydrocarbon drilling and production, holding and transporting hydrocarbons, safety platforms, and heavy lift cranes.
• PSV platform supply vessels
• CSV construction support vessels
• drilling vessels such as drilling vessels
• well intervention vessels such as drilling vessels
• ice breaking vessels such as ice breaking vessels
• crane vessels such as cable laying vessels, seismic vessels, and firefighting vessels
• mooring systems Prior to, during, and after operations, additional support and/or the use of additional equipment may be beneficial to the success of an operation in order to stabilize the vessel.
• offshore vessels may use mooring systems to maintain a position in a body of water.
• an offshore vessel is anchored in position by a mooring line.
• oilfield operations may include a vessel-to-vessel transfer of products while the offshore vessels remain in the body of the water.
• Using a floating facility for the production of hydrocarbon or other processing plant may accelerate production schedules.
• processing plants may not have the required storage for transportation parcels to be offloaded, thus requiring the use of a storage vessel or Floating Storage Unit (“FSU”) to which other carriers can take the cargo in adequate parcel sizes.
• FSU Floating Storage Unit
• cryogenic materials such as liquefied natural gas (“LNG”)
• LNG liquefied natural gas
• the length of the transfer hoses may be limited to less than 30 meters, making the conventional mooring systems of two vessels challenging, time consuming, and resource intensive such that it may be un-feasible.
• the embodiments disclosed herein relate to a method.
• the method may include placing a first vessel of the at least two vessels adjacent to a second vessel of the at least two vessels; attaching mooring lines to sides of the first vessel and the second vessel that face open water of the body of water; fixing a position of the first vessel and the second vessel in the body of water with the mooring lines; and maintaining the fixed position of the first vessel and the second vessel with the mooring lines.
• the embodiments disclosed herein relate to a system that may include a production vessel positioned a distance apart from a floating storage unit in a body of water.
• the system may also include a plurality of mooring lines attached to the production vessel and the floating storage, the plurality of mooring lines may be configured to fix and maintain a position of the production vessel and the floating storage in the body of water relative to each other.
• the system may further include a transfer hose attached to a first adjacent side of the production vessel and a second adjacent side of the floating storage, the transfer hose may be configured to transfer cryogenic materials from the production vessel to the floating storage.
• the first adjacent side and the second adjacent side may face each other.
• the plurality of mooring lines may be attached to a first opposite side of the production vessel and a second opposite side of the floating storage. The first opposite side may be opposite the first adjacent side and the second opposite side is opposite the second adjacent side.
• Figure 1 illustrates a flowchart of a split mooring system for an offshore vessel according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
• the term “attached to” or “coupled” or “coupled to” or “connected” or “connected to” may indicate establishing either a direct or indirect connection, and is not limited to either unless expressly referenced as such.
• like or identical reference numerals are used in the figures to identify common or the same elements. The figures are not necessarily to scale and certain features and certain views of the figures may be shown exaggerated in scale for purposes of clarification.
• embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to split mooring systems.
• the split mooring system may be designed for use with vessels, in particular, offshore vessels or structures.
• embodiments disclosed herein are described with terms designating an offshore vessel in reference to a floating vessel, but any terms designating offshore structure (i.e., any platform or semi- submersible) should not be deemed to limit the scope of the disclosure.
• the various embodiments described herein may be used in various stages of offshore oil and gas operations, such as rig site preparation, drilling, completion, abandonment etc., and in other environments, such as work-over rigs, fracking installation, well-testing installation, oil and gas production installation, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
• the embodiments are described merely as examples of useful applications, which are not limited to any specific details of the embodiments herein.
• the split mooring systems may be designed for use in any marine environment without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
• this disclosure describes systems and methods of a split mooring system (“SMS”) 100 for mooring vessels side-by-side.
• the SMS 100 is used at an offshore site (in a body of water) to maintain a position of two vessel being near each other.
• the SMS 100 may use a wide variety of mooring lines to stabilize the vessels in a position such that the vessels may be side-by-side to complete a vessel-to-vessel transfer of products (i.e., moving equipment from one vessel to another vessel, transfer of hydrocarbons or cryogenic materials, scheduled repairs, replace equipment, etc.).
• NPT non-productive time
• the SMS 100 deployed at an offshore site includes a plurality of mooring lines 101 to be coupled to a vessel(s). Further, it is also understood that depending on a size, shape, and configuration of vessels (and its usage), different sizes, numbers and/or types of mooring lines may be used.
• each mooring line of the plurality of mooring lines 101 may be a rope, wire, cable, chain or a combination thereof.
• the adjacent side of the vessels 104, 105 may have no mooring lines such that the plurality of mooring lines 101 are only on the open side of the vessels 104, 105.
• the first vessel 104 and the second vessel 105 are moored a distance of less than 30 meters apart from each other, such as a distance of between 2 and 25 meters apart, or from 5 to 15 meters apart, for example.
• one or more transfer hoses may be interconnected between the first vessel 104 and the second vessel 105 such that a transfer of cryogenic materials (e.g., liquefied natural gas) may occur from the first vessel 104 to the second vessel 105 or vice versa.
• one or more sensors may be included within the SMS 100.
• the sensors may be a microphone, ultrasonic, ultrasound, sound navigation and ranging (SONAR), radio detection and ranging (RADAR), acoustic, piezoelectric, accelerometers, temperature, pressure, weight, position, or any known sensor in the art to detect changes to the position or conditions of the vessels 104, 105 and the plurality of mooring lines 101.
• SONAR ultrasonic, ultrasound
• RADAR radio detection and ranging
• acoustic piezoelectric
• accelerometers temperature, pressure, weight, position, or any known sensor in the art to detect changes to the position or conditions of the vessels 104, 105 and the plurality of mooring lines 101.
• the one or more sensors are located on the vessels 104, 105 and/or any mooring line of the plurality of mooring lines 101 on locations where they can gather data, be able to detect any damage/wear, and to determine a location or movement of said vessels or mooring lines.
• global position system (“GPS”) devices may also be used to monitor the positions of the vessels 104, 105.
• GPS global position system
• a dynamic positioning system i.e., boat motors
• a dynamic positioning system i.e., boat motors
• the first set of mooring lines 102 used on the first vessel 104, may include mooring lines 101A at a bow 201 of the first vessel 104 and mooring lines 10 IB at a stern 202 of the first vessel 104 at a side (port or starboard) opposite the second vessel 105.
• the second set of mooring lines 103 used on the second vessel 105, may include mooring lines 101C at a bow 203 of the second vessel 105 and mooring lines 10 ID at a stern 204 of the second vessel 105 at a side (port or starboard) opposite the first vessel 104.
• the spring lines 106 A, 106B may mn diagonally forward or aft from the first vessel 104 to the second vessel 105 at an angle to limit said vessel's relative fore-and-aft movement.
• the stem spring 106B will force the stem 202, 204 of said vessel 104, 105 inward and the bow 201, 203 of said vessel 104, 105 outward (or vice-versa in use of the bow spring 106A) to maintain the position of the vessels 104, 105 relative to each other.
• the spring lines 106 A, 106B may be attached to the vessels 104, 105 at the bow 201, 203, at the stem 202, 204, or in the middle of the vessels 104, 105, at midship or spring cleats.
• the spring lines 106A, 106B may be made of the same materials as the plurality of mooring lines 101.
• the spring lines 106 A, 106B may be the same spring lines as those used to dock the vessels 104, 105.
• FIG. 2B a front view of the SMS 100 deployed in the body of water 200 is illustrated in accordance with one or more embodiments.
• a portion of the hull of said vessels’ 104, 105 may be underwater.
• the plurality of mooring lines 101 may be affixed to fairleads on the portion of the hull of said vessels’ 104, 105 below a surface 200A of the body of water 200.
• each mooring line of the plurality of mooring lines 101 may have three parts.
• each mooring line may have a top portion 205 connected to the vessels 104, 105, a bottom portion 206 connect to an anchor 208 (e.g., suction pile anchor) in a seabed 200B, and a middle portion 207 connected inter-between the top portion 205 and the bottom portion 206.
• top portion 205 is a chain line
• the middle portion 207 is a polyester line
• the bottom portion 206 is a chain line.
• each mooring line of the plurality of mooring lines 101 is in tension.
• a tension in a vertical direction T v and in a horizontal direction T h at the point where the mooring line (101) is coupled to the vessel (104, 105) is equal and opposite to a tension in tension in a vertical direction T v and in a horizontal direction T h at the point where the mooring line (101) is coupled to the anchor (208).
• the SMS 100 may allow for the position of the vessels (104, 105) in the body of water 200 to be maintained for 20 or more years.
• the one or more fenders 107 extend from the hull of the vessels (104, 105). Additionally, the one or more fenders 107 may be removable or permanently fixed to the hull of the vessels (104, 105). Further, the one or more fenders 107 may be floating fenders in the body of water 200. The one or more fenders may be used to absorb energy berthing against the hull of the vessels (104, 105) such that damage to the hull of the vessels (104, 105) may be prevented. In order to absorb energy, the one or more fenders 107 may be made from rubber, foam elastomer, plastic, or any combination thereof.
• the one or more fenders 107 may be chosen based most suitable for an application that depends on many variables, including dimensions and displacement of the vessels (104, 105), maximum allowable stand-off, berthing structure, tidal variations and other berth- specific conditions.
• the one or more fenders 107 may be a cylindrical fender, arch fender, cell fender, cone fender, pneumatic fender, submarine hydro-pneumatic fender (“SHPF”), foam elastomer fender, D-type fender, square fender, wing fender, keyhole fender, tugboat fender, solid rubber fender, floating rubber fender, or any combination thereof.
• SHPF hydro-pneumatic fender
• fenders 107 may be designed to meet standards set in the PIANC "Guidelines for the design of fender systems,” the Japanese Industrial Standards (“JIS”), and the British Standard BS 6349-4: 2014.
• methods of the present disclosure may include use of the split mooring system and other systems, such as in Figures 1-2B. Because the method may apply to any of the embodiments, reference numbers are not referenced to avoid confusion of the numbering between the different embodiments.
• a first vessel and a second vessel are positioned in a body of water and the vessels are placed adjacent to each other.
• a plurality of mooring lines is used to fix and maintain the relative positions of the vessels in the body of water.
• mooring lines are attached to the first vessel and the second vessel.
• the mooring lines may only by attached to a side of the first vessel and the second vessel that faces open water.
• a side of the first vessel that faces a side of the second vessel may have no mooring lines.
• a distal end of the mooring lines is attached to a corresponding anchor that is anchored in a seabed.
• the mooring lines have an end attached the first and second vessels and a distal end attached to corresponding anchors, the relative position of the first and second vessel is fixed and maintained in the body of water. It is further envisioned that the first vessel may be positioned and moored in the body of water first, and then the second vessel is placed adjacent to the first vessel to then be moored in said position.
• the mooring lines are split among the first vessel and the second vessel such that each vessel does not need a complete mooring system.
• a first end of one or more spring lines may be attached to the first vessel and a second end of the one or more spring lines may be attached to the second vessel.
• the one or more spring lines aid in maintaining a position of the first and second vessels relative to each other.
• the one or more spring lines may be angled from the first vessel to the second vessel to limit said vessels’ fore-and-aft movement relative to each other.
• one or more fenders are provided on a hull on the first vessel and/or the second vessel to aid in preventing collisions between the hulls of the first and second vessels.
• the first vessel and the second vessel may be spaced and kept at distance of less than 30 meters apart from each other in the body of the water.
• one or more transfer hoses may be connected from the first vessel to the second vessel such that materials, such as cryogenic fluids, may be transferred between the first vessel and the second vessel.

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
• Filling Or Discharging Of Gas Storage Vessels (AREA)
• Farming Of Fish And Shellfish (AREA)

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• 2022
  • 2022-03-01 US US17/653,079 patent/US20220306244A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2022-03-02 KR KR1020237033441A patent/KR20240008825A/ko active Pending
  • 2022-03-02 CN CN202280029129.8A patent/CN117177908A/zh active Pending
  • 2022-03-02 WO PCT/US2022/018471 patent/WO2022187328A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2022-03-02 BR BR112023017891A patent/BR112023017891A2/pt unknown
  • 2022-03-02 EP EP22763952.3A patent/EP4301654A4/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2022-03-02 JP JP2023553598A patent/JP2024509197A/ja active Pending

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