OFFLOADING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SPREAD MOORED FPSOS

WIPO Patent Application WO/2003/013948

A2

A mooring arrangement between a floating storage body spread moored in deep water and a shuttle tanker, the arrangement including a single point buoyant member that is adapted for mooring a shuttle tanker in offloading position relative to a floating production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) with a link between the floating storage body and the single point buoyant member. One embodiment (100) of the invention employs a submerged yoke (30), having one end (31) rotatably coupled to a FPSO (10) and a second end (32), supported by a buoy. A mooring hawser (28) extends from the buoy to the shuttle tanker and product hoses connect the shuttle tanker with the FPSO and extend along the submerged yoke. In another embodiment, the mooring buoy is stationed by a hold-back mooring system (303-304) and the FPSO or the taker or both is provided with traction devices (308) to move the tanker into loading position with the respect to the FPSO. Other embodiments of the invention establish mooring of a shuttle taker so that it can weathervane 360 degrees during offloading activity. In another embodiment, the mooring buoy (600) is provided with a dynamic positioning system (614) for controlling shuttle tanker positioning with respect to conditions of the environment of for moving the tanker to a desired position during loading.

COTTRELL ROY H
HALL RICK A
SALYER BRENT A
HEYL CASPAR N
GUNDERSON RICHARD H

PCT/US2002/024654

February 20, 2003

August 02, 2002

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FMC TECHNOLOGIES (US)

B63B21/50; B63B27/24; (IPC1-7): B63B/

US3783816A	1974-01-08
US3999498A	1976-12-28
US4606294A	1986-08-19
US5065687A	1991-11-19
US5159891A	1992-11-03
US5885028A	1999-03-23

Bush, Gary L. (Day & Caldwell, L.L.P., Suite 4200, 600 Travi, Houston TX, US)

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