Abstract: A mooring system in the form of a floating body having storage capacity e.g. a tanker has been provided at one end, such as the bow with a forwardly extending arm having an opening through which a buoy can be lifted and placed with outwardly extending lugs upon supporting recesses of the parts of the arm which define the opening there between by moving the raised buoy forwardly and lowering it with its lugs in the said recesses. This allows a fast connection and disconnection, so that in case the tanker is in danger due to ice or bad weather, the tanker can move away. After return of the normal situation the connection can be restored easily by lifting the buoy out of the water and placing it in its supports without the need of operating additional locking means. A plurality of vessels having the same arm can be connected one at the time with this buoy.

Abstract: The invention is a seal for the gap between two parts which may or may not rotate with respect to each other which seal comprises a body of flexible material placed in a groove of one part and having a lip pressed against the surface of the other part, said lip having a reinforcement of a more rigid material which towards the surface engaged by the lip has ridges of a smaller surface area than the areas turned away from said surface, said reinforcement eventually extending through some or all other parts of the seal to prevent extrusion into the gap.

Abstract: A system for maintaining a vessel in position with respect to another body such as a buoy by a rigid arm, the arm having a connection with the body and a movable cable connection with the vessel, the arm extends far above the bottom of the vessel preferably above the water surface and is loaded by a weight which is attached to the arm at a position between the ends of the arm or beyond the point of attachment of the connection.

Abstract: A mooring system comprising a vessel (1) floating on the water surface, such as a ship, and having an arm structure (2) pivotally secured to it. A buoyant body (9) presses upwardly on the arm structure (2); and the end of the arm structure opposite the ship is pivotally connected to a connector (4-6) that extends generally vertically upward from a bottom anchor (7). The connector (4-6) is maintained under tensile stress by the buoyancy of buoyant body (9). A number of anchor chains (10) are attached to the connector (4-6) and extend down to the sea bottom in various directions and are anchored to the sea bottom at a distance from the anchor (7) to which the connector (4-6) is attached. These anchor chains (10) exert a tensile force on the connector (4-6) in the opposite direction from the force exerted by the buoyant body (9).

Abstract: A system for maintaining a vessel (4) in a predetermined position with respect to another body (1, 20, 63, 74) such as a buoy (1), the system comprising a stiff arm (11, 12, 18, 22, 33, 43, 44, 50) connected to the buoy (1) or the like anchored body (1, 20, 63, 74) with one end and cooperating at the other end or ends with structure (7, 28, 38, 39) such as cables (7) which are suspended from the vessel (4) and carry a weight (8, 9, 10, 30, 31, 36, 37, 78), this structure (7, 28, 38, 39) being connected to the stiff arm (11, 12, 18, 22, 33, 43, 44, 50) or being guided (15, 27, 40, 41) through the arm (11, 12, 18, 22, 33) which arm (11, 12, 18, 22, 33) extends at or above water level.

Abstract: A mooring system comprising a buoy, which is anchored by anchor chains. The buoy has a horizontal pivot shaft for connection with the device to be moored and this shaft is positioned at a part of the buoy, which is rotatable about a vertical shaft relative to the part to which the chains are secured. The buoy comprises at least two spaced buoyant members which are interconnected by a bridge member in which a turntable is journalled. The bridge member furthermore comprises the horizontal pivot shaft.

Abstract: Floating system comprising a ring shaped body with structure for connecting anchor chains. The ring shaped body is rotable around a vertical axis in relation to the floating system. Fluid conduits extend downwards from the floating system through the ring shaped body and are connected to a rotatable conduit coupling. The rotatable conduit coupling is installed on the floating system above the ring shaped body by a cardan joint with two horizontal axes, which cardan joint is located at the outside of the conduit coupling. The ring shaped body has an inner central opening of such large dimensions that the conduits or hoses running from conduit coupling downwards through that opening are maintained free of the ring shaped body in each angular position allowed by the cardan joint.

Abstract: The invention relates to a mooring system, comprising a tanker (1,9,15,22,72,86,104,131) and a device (5,11,20,61,74,95,111,135) having some type of anchor (3,10,23,66,71,68,77,113,140), the tanker being rotatably connected with that device for rotation about a vertical axis (4,117). A conduit (6,24,25,45,46,122-125) extends upwardly towards that device (5,11,20,61,74,95,111,135) and towards a swivel (38,58,79,102,121) concentric with that axis (4,117) and from the swivel towards the tanker, the system having a quick connect coupling (83,84,85,91,92,97,116,117,118). The device (5, etc.) preferably has controllable buoyancy and can be of any type including a normal mooring buoy.

Abstract: Anchor for connecting or attaching a buoyant device that exerts an upward force on an anchor. The anchor comprises a base body which is positioned on the bottom and is maintained in that position by its own weight and/or auxiliary means, which base body has guiding elements for a second body to which that upward force is applied. The coupling between both bodies comprises a chamber bounded by both bodies which chamber can be connected to a source of underpressure.

Abstract: The invention relates to a swivel for one or more conduits comprising inner wall portions (3) and outer wall portions (2) for each annular chamber which wall portions (2, 3) are rotatably supported upon each other by means of a single axial-radial bearing the inner race way rings (7) and outer race way rings (10) of which are attached to the axial end faces of the inner (3) and outer wall portions (2) of said chamber.

Abstract: The invention relates to a rotatable swivel for one or more conduits said swivel comprising a plurality of annual chambers (4) formed by identical inner and outer wall portions (3 and 2 respectively), said wall portions (3,2) being rotatably supported with respect to each other by means of inner and outer bearing race ways (7 and 10 respectively) which are connected to an end face of the corresponding inner and outer wall portions (3,2). The outer wall portions (2) may be interconnected by means of bolts (15) and the inner wall portions (3) by means of cams (19) engaging into recesses (17, 18) or a ring (16) located at the level of the bearings (6) present between adjacent chambers (4).

Abstract: A single-point mooring buoy comprises a column which is hingedly connected to an anchor and upstands from the anchor and has a frequency less than six seconds. At the upper end of the column is pivotally connected to a fully submerged buoyant body which has a frequency or period of movement greater than 16 seconds. In this way, the loads on the various portions of the mooring buoy are held as low as possible and the buoy undergoes little movement in spite of wave action even in the presence of waves of high energy.

Abstract: When a flexible conduit is secured to a buoy under water, the action of the tide, current, wind and waves, as well as forces exerted by a vessel moored to the buoy, cause the buoy to perform various motions that bend or twist the tube and load it with additional tractive forces. This causes the tube to wear very quickly and to have to be replaced. The present invention solves this problem, by replacing that portion of the tube adjacent the buoy, by a pipe or rod which is fastened to the buoy with a universal joint and which hangs downwardly from the buoy in the water. At the lower end of the pipe or rod, a tube is connected which continues to the bottom of the body of water. The tube is coupled with the pipe or is directed through or along the rod, to the buoy.

Abstract: A mooring device comprising a vessel and a buoy interconnected by an outrigger having a horizontal pivot axis connection with the vessel and a universal joint with the buoy. The buoy has a vertical traction-resistant torsionally stiff connection with a ground anchor, an auxiliary buoy being provided with a similar connection to a ground anchor and a parallel guide connection with the first-mentioned buoy. The auxiliary buoy carries a tubular connection between a conduit at the bottom and the top of the buoy in such a way that disconnection is easy.

Abstract: A flare buoy for burning off excess hydrocarbon gas during the offshore production or processing of hydrocarbons, comprises a submerged buoyant body that extends upwardly past the water in a portion of reduced cross-sectional area and terminates upwardly in a flare conduit which receives gaseous hydrocarbon from a tanker or other buoyant structure. The flare buoy is rigidly connected to an arm which at its end remote from the flare buoy is pivotally connected to the tanker. The arm is in two parts that diverge from the flare buoy and are pivotally connected to the side of the tanker.

Abstract: An intermediate conduit extends between and interconnects adjacent pivotally connected ends of a pair of conduits. The intermediate conduit is disposed in at least one turn about the pivotal interconnection, and the distance between the ends of the intermediate conduit is substantially greater than its length. A damping device such as a dashpot interconnects the intermediate conduit and one of the pair of conduits and acts in a direction parallel to the axis of the turns of the intermediate conduit.

Abstract: A connecting arrangement between a floating installation such as a floating platform, and an anchor, comprises an upwardly extending rigid bar or rod connected at its lower end for vertical swinging movement about two perpendicular horizontal axes to an anchor. At its upper end, the rod or tube is connected universally to link means which in turn are connected to arms that are pivotally connected at a plurality of points to a floating platform, about spaced pivotal axes. The adjacent ends of the arms, to which the link means is connected, are preferably spaced apart a minimum horizontal distance.

Abstract: A coupling is established between a buoyant body and a submerged anchor, by drawing down an internal bush until it is aligned between the lower ends of a pair of holes through upstanding parallel cheeks secured to the anchor. The holes have larger lower ends than upper ends. A pin is then inserted through the bush; and when the buoyant body is released, its buoyancy draws the coupling up until the pin lodges in the upper ends of the holes through the cheeks attached to the anchor.

Abstract: A single-point mooring buoy comprises a vertical column which is secured at its lower end to the sea floor. The buoy is connected to the column for rotation relative to the column through 360.degree. about a vertical axis. A conduit extends from the lower end of the column to a swivel joint connection for a hose on the column. The buoy is mounted on the column by its own bearing, which is below that swivel joint assembly. There is a passage through the buoy in alignment with the column, which extends from above the water level to below the swivel joint.

Abstract: Apparatus for the marine transshipment of a liquid such as oil from a supply tanker to a transport tanker, comprises an elongated vessel having a horizontal track portion extending lengthwise thereof. The horizontal track terminates adjacent one end of the vessel in an inclined track portion that extends down to the end of the vessel at least as low as the water line. Horizontal rails extend along opposite sides of the horizontal track portion and beyond the horizontal track over the inclined track portion. A trolley rides on these rails and is winch-operated to pull a flexible conduit up onto the horizontal track portion when the conduit is not in use for the transshipment of liquid.