Abstract: A motion compensating crane for use on an offshore vessel having a hull with a design waterline, wherein the crane includes a revolving superstructure, a main boom mounted to the revolving superstructure and pivotally connected at an inner end thereof about a substantially horizontal boom pivot axis to the revolving superstructure, the main boom having a tip end remote from the inner end, a main boom luffing assembly adapted to set an angle of the main boom relative to the superstructure within a main boom working angle range, a rigid jib frame pivotally connected to the tip end of the main boom about a substantially horizontal jib frame pivot axis, and a level setting assembly adapted to set the rigid jib frame in a levelled position whilst the main boom has an angle within the main boom working angle range. The rigid jib frame is provided with a set of parallel X-direction tracks which are substantially horizontal in the levelled position of the rigid jib frame.

Abstract: A marine reel lay method pipeline installation system for laying a flexible pipeline on the seabed a pipeline includes a pipeline launch tower adapted to launch the flexible pipeline in a firing line along said tower; a pipeline guide provided at an elevated position; one or more tensioners, wherein the tensioner frame includes two frame segments with track units, the two frame segments being adapted to be conjoined to each other and being pivotably mounted to said pipeline launch tower about a respective vertical tensioner pivot axis, allowing said two frame segments to be pivotable between a closed flexible pipeline laying configuration; and an open configuration; one or more vertical trolley rails supported by said pipeline launch tower and positioned between said vertical tensioner pivot axes of said two frame segments; a trolley movable along said one or more vertical trolley rails in a vertical trolley path which is unobstructed when said two frame segments are in the open configuration; and a hoisting

Abstract: A wellbore drilling system includes a drilling tower and a drill floor; a drilling tubulars storage rack adapted to store multiple drilling tubulars; a tubular racking device mounted on the drilling tower having first and second tubular racking assemblies; and a well center tools storage structure. The motion arm of the a first tubular racker assembly is provided with a connector, and well center tools and a tubular gripper member are provided with complementary connectors. The well center tools storage structure is arranged such that the well center tools stored therein are within reach of the first tubular racker assembly so as to allow connection of a well center tool to the motion arm while the well center tool is stored in the well center tools storage structure. With the at least one well center tool connected to the motion arm of the lower tubular racker assembly, the well center tool is operable above the drill floor.

Abstract: A slew bearing includes a stationary bearing ring to be fixed to a base, a moveable bearing ring to be fixed to a moveable object, wherein the stationary bearing ring and the moveable bearing ring are configured to enable rotation of the moveable bearing ring relative to the stationary bearing ring about a rotation axis.

Abstract: A vessel is adapted to perform subsea wellbore related operations, involving a riser string that extends between a subsea wellbore and a vessel and that is assembled from releasably interconnected riser sections that each comprise a main riser pipe and at least one auxiliary pipe. The vessel includes an auxiliary pipe filling device adapted to fill the at least one auxiliary pipe of a riser section during a lowering step of said riser running operation, the auxiliary pipe filling device including a liquid source, e.g. for water, at least one nozzle adapted to dispense water into said auxiliary pipe, a liquid flow line, connecting the liquid source with the nozzle, and a nozzle mount that is adapted to mount the nozzle in a filling position in which the nozzle is positioned to dispense liquid into the at least one auxiliary pipe of the riser section during said lowering step.

Abstract: A method for servicing a top drive device of a wellbore drilling installation. The installation comprises a drilling tower, a drill floor having a well center through which a drilling tubulars string can pass along a firing line. A trolley is guided along a vertical trolley rail. A top drive device is attached to the trolley and comprises one or more top drive. A motion arm assembly comprises a base and an extensible and retractable motion arm, wherein the base is guided by a vertical motion arm rail. The motion arm has an operative reach that encompasses the firing line. The motion arm assembly is adapted to support at least one of a well center tool, e.g. an iron roughneck tool and a tubular gripper member, and allowing to bring said well center tool or tubular gripper member in the firing line.

Abstract: In a wellbore drilling installation and method for drilling a wellbore or other wellbore related activities, the installation includes a drilling tower, drill floor with well center, and a slip device system including a first slip device and a second slip device. A top drive trolley with top drive device is guided along a vertical trolley rail. The trolley includes a frame and the top drive device is attached to the frame independent from first and second vertical frame members. A rotatable head clamp component is adapted to be releasably connected to and suspended from the first and second vertical frame members of the trolley. The rotatable head clamp component includes a housing, an open-centered rotary body, a drilling operation thrust bearing arranged between the housing and the rotary body adapted to support the load of a drilling tubulars string during a drilling operation.

Abstract: An offshore drilling vessel includes a floating hull having a moonpool, a drilling tower positioned on the hull at or near the moonpool, a tubular string main hoisting device including a main hoisting winch and main cable connected to the main hoisting winch, a crown block mounted on the drilling tower, a travelling block suspended from the crown block in a multiple fall arrangement of the main cable, a mobile working deck and an integrated heave compensation system including a main cable heave compensation sheave in a path of the main cable between the main hoisting winch and the travelling block, a hydraulic sheave compensator connected to the main cable heave compensation sheave to provide a heave compensated motion of the travelling block, and a hydraulic deck compensator connected to the hull and to the mobile working deck to provide a heave compensated motion of the working deck relative to the hull within the heave compensation motion range.

Abstract: The invention relates to a drilling rig comprising: a tubular stand support tower, tubular stand storage rack, slip device for supporting multiple tubular stands, and a tubular stand connecting device. According to the invention the rig is provided with a tubular stand handling system, adapted to move a tubular stand between the storage rack and a position in the firing line above the tubular string slip device, and adapted to rotatable support the tubular stand in the firing line during spinning in, to allow for connecting the tubular stand with the tubular string, and during spinning out, to allow for disconnecting the tubular stand from the tubular string, the tubular stand handling system comprising. The tubular stand handling system comprises vertical rails and a lower motion arm assembly and an upper motion arm assembly comprising grippers, mounted on said vertical rails. Also provided is a weight compensation control system.

Abstract: A method for handling and/or testing an in-riser landing string assembly onboard a floating vessel, which method comprises the use of an in-riser landing string assembly cart, e.g. a skiddable in-riser landing string assembly cart, having a cart base, e.g. a cart base configured to be skidded over skid rails on a deck of the vessel, and having a support tower erected on said cart base. The in-riser landing string assembly is arranged and retained in vertical orientation on said cart with the support tower providing lateral support for the in-riser landing string assembly, e.g. the in-riser landing string assembly being temporarily secured to the tower at different elevations along the height of the support tower.

Abstract: A vessel adapted to perform subsea wellbore related operations involving a riser string that is assembled from releasably interconnected riser sections and extends between a subsea wellbore and the vessel. The riser string vertical handling system of the vessel comprises a controlled motion device that is adapted to displace the riser string lifting tool in at least one horizontal direction relative to the riser spider device at least whilst travelling between said elevated and lowered position thereof loaded by the riser string suspended from the riser string lifting tool, thereby allowing to establish an inclined travel path with selectively variable inclination of the riser string lifting tool relative to an imaginary vertical line through the riser string passage of the riser spider device, e.g. said inclined travel path having an inclination selected to correspond to an actual water current induced inclination of an upper portion of the riser string during the riser string assembly process.

Abstract: A slew bearing includes a stationary bearing ring to be fixed to a base, and a moveable bearing ring to be fixed to a moveable object, wherein the stationary bearing ring and the moveable bearing ring are configured to enable rotation of the moveable bearing ring relative to the stationary bearing ring about a rotation axis.

Abstract: A combination of a drilling installation for drilling a well and a control and signal lines deployment module is disclosed. The drilling installation includes a rig floor slip device adapted to be cleared from a well centre opening to create a clear space around the well centre opening. The combination includes a temporary workspace floor, adapted to be mounted in the clear space at a level below a rig floor surface and to provide a workspace floor for an operator standing in said clear space on the work space floor, allowing the operator to secure at a securing level said one or more control/and or signal lines externally to a second tubulars string suspended from a module slip device.

Abstract: A system and method for casing drilling with a subsea casing drive adapted to engage at the outer circumference of the casing string, to impart a linear force and/or torque to the casing string, and such a subsea casing drive per se are disclosed. During drilling, the subsea casing drive is provided in a subsea unit further comprising a blowout preventer, a pressure control device and a mud pump with an outlet to a mud hose connectable to a surface vessel. The wellbore is drilled by driving the bottom hold assembly, BHA, and the casing string into the wellbore by the subsea casing drive, while discharging mud and cuttings via the mud hose and supplying mud to the BHA from the mud circulation system on the vessel via the landing string and casing string.

Abstract: A slew bearing including a stationary bearing ring to be fixed to a base, and a moveable bearing ring which is to be fixed to a moveable object and which is concentric with the stationary bearing ring, the stationary bearing ring and moveable bearing ring being configured to enable rotation of the moveable bearing ring relative to the stationary bearing ring, wherein the moveable bearing ring comprises a top ring member, a bottom ring member, and a middle ring member in between the top and bottom ring member, the top, middle and bottom ring members each being formed by a plurality of ring segments wherein vertical joints between ring segments of adjacent ring members are not aligned to each other, wherein the top, middle and bottom ring member comprise a plurality of holes distributed about the circumference of the moveable ring, respectively, wherein the top, middle and bottom ring member are connected to each other by a plurality of bolts received in the corresponding holes of the moveable ring member, and

Abstract: An accessory installation pallet for handling an accessory on an offshore vessel includes a pallet frame and multiple pivotable deck sections. The pallet frame provides the pallet with structural rigidity and is provided with fixating devices for securing an accessory, e.g. a PLET, to the pallet. The pallet frame is furthermore provided with one or more coupling devices adapted to couple the pallet with a PLET handler, to allow the PLET handler to pivot the pallet from a horizontal transport position into an upright support position. The pivotable deck sections are pivotable mounted in the pallet frame, such that each deck sections can pivot between a folded position, in which the deck section is located adjacent the pallet frame, and an extended position, in which the deck section extends in a direction away from the pallet frame.

Abstract: A marine pipelaying friction clamp device for frictionally retaining an offshore subsea pipeline to be launched into the sea includes a frame which includes a main frame structure that is adapted to be supported by the pipelaying vessel. The frame supports multiple annular arrays of clamping units adapted to simultaneously engage separate portions of the pipeline. The frame further includes one or more mobile subframes for one or more of said annular arrays of clamping units. Each of said one or more mobile subframes is movably supported by the main frame structure so as to be mobile relative to said main frame structure in said longitudinal direction of the clamp device, and each of said one or more mobile subframes is supported by a spring assembly.

Abstract: A drilling marine riser section comprises a main riser pipe with radially extending flanges and multiple auxiliary pipes at least comprising a choke line and a kill line. One or more clamps retain the auxiliary pipes. Further the riser section has buoyancy members. The choke line and the kill line are connected to each of the flanges in a tensile load sharing arrangement, so that—in vertical use orientation of the riser section in a riser string—weight stress is distributed in the main riser pipe and the choke line and the kill line. The buoyancy members form an exterior of the riser section including diametrically opposed and parallel flat bottom and top stacking faces relative to the axis of the main riser pipe, allowing stacking of riser sections in horizontal orientation. The choke line and the kill line are arranged diametrically opposite from one another and between the flat bottom and top stacking faces.

Abstract: In a method for sealing and controlling fluid pressure in an annular fluid passageway in a wellbore related process, use is made of an annular fluid passageway sealing device, which includes a chamber delimited by chamber end members each provided with an opening therein so that the drilling tubulars string passes through said chamber and said chamber end members. The lower chamber end member is exposed, at least partially, to wellbore related fluid pressure in the annular fluid passageway. The housing is provided with an inlet and an outlet in communication with said chamber. Use is made of a pump that circulates a high viscosity liquid. The inlet and the outlet are vertically offset from each other and the chamber is provided with one or more narrow annular gap defining members that are arranged between vertically spaced apart feed and discharge zones.

Abstract: A vessel and method to perform subsea wellbore related operations, e.g. slim hole technique drilling of a subsea wellbore are disclosed. The vessel has a hull with at least one moonpool defining first and second moonpool areas. A vertical tower is mounted on a tower supporting hull structure and has a vertical operative face. A hoisting device has a winch and winch driven cable, and is adapted to suspend a load from said vertical tower via said at least one winch driven cable and to manipulate the suspended load in a firing line of the tower that extends along and outside of said vertical operative face of the tower. The tower is slewable about a vertical slew axis by means of a slewing drive at least into first and second operative positions wherein the firing line extends through the first and second moonpool areas respectively.