Abstract: Device for absorbing impacts during lowering or lifting respectively of the support legs (1) of an artificial island comprising a pontoon and legs that are movable and lockable with respect to said pontoon further comprising the fact that the legs (1) at or near their lower end are surrounded by an apron (3) out of flexible material that is fixed to the circumference of each leg and extends beyond the lower end of said leg.

Abstract: Device for absorbing horizontally directed impact loads on the supporting legs of an artificial island comprising a pontoon and legs that are movable in the vertical direction and can be locked when the legs are lowered or lifted respectively further comprising energy absorbing and/or transfering means (2) extending downwardly from the lower part (1) of each of the legs.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for pre-loading the legs (2,3,4) of an artificial island (1) to increase the stability of the island preloading is performed by ballast (7-17) placed in or on the legs, this ballast being preferably located within flexible bags (17,18,19,22,23,24,25,26,27,33,34,48,49,50,51) placed upon the trussed members (11,12,13,14,15,16) of the legs or upon a plateau (46) supported by beams (45). Instead of bags a rigid receptacle formed by plates (37-40) can be used for receiving ballast. Furthermore, the hollow tubular members (52,53,54,55) can be used for receiving liquid ballast.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for lowering and positioning a pipe line onto the bottom of deep water, the pipe line being assembled from pipe sections on deck of a ship, which pipe line from the bottom of the water extends upwardly according to a curved path (18) followed by a straight portion (17) and finally by a second curved part, the pipe line being held under tension by the ship to maintain the radius of curvature (R) sufficiently large tensioning is performed from the ship directly on the rectilinear part (17) of the pipe line while above the point of engagement of the tensional force the pipe line is subjected to a bending moment only. The apparatus preferably has a rotatable tube (2) in the ship through which the upper part of the pipe line extends vertically upwardly into a derrick (15) for assembling purposes.

Abstract: A device for coupling together two bodies in any position with respect to each other, which bodies are mounted for a linear displacement with respect to each other, in particular in a self-raising platform structure for coupling together the platform and a leg of the structure, the device comprising at least one pair of first pawls (3), each pawl of which is connected to one of the bodies for a pivotal movement and the contact parts thereof are shaped so that upon a pivotal movement of the pawls towards each other points of the contact parts approach each other, so that the relative movement between the bodies will be inhibited in one direction while being permitted in the other direction, at least one pair of second pawls (4) having the same construction as and spaced apart from the pair of first pawls being provided, which are mounted in such a manner that upon a pivotal movement thereof towards each other corresponding points of the contact parts of the second pawls will approach each other to inhibit rela