Abstract: A mooring system for a floating vessel such as a drilling unit is provided. The floating vessel has a platform for providing drilling, production or other operations in a marine environment, and a tower for providing ballast and stability below a water line in the marine environment. The mooring system generally includes a plurality of anchors disposed radially around the tower along a seabed, and a plurality of mooring lines. Each mooring line has a first end operatively connected to the tower, and a second end operatively connected to a respective anchor. Each mooring line further comprises at least two substantially rigid links joined together using linkages. Each joint is at least five meters in length. The mooring system is capable of maintaining station-keeping for the vessel greater than about 100 Mega-Newtons such that operations may be conducted when the marine environment is substantially iced over.

Abstract: A system and method for rapidly disconnecting a drilling riser from a floating drilling platform is provided. In one embodiment, the floating drilling platform has a mooring buoy connected to a seabed. The method comprises disconnecting the drilling riser from a subsea component engaged to the seabed, attaching the mooring buoy to the drilling riser, and releasing the mooring buoy and the attached drilling riser from the drilling platform.

Abstract: A system, including: a floating drilling unit; a buoyancy hull plug releasably connected to the floating drilling unit; mooring lines with first ends secured to a seafloor and second ends secured to the buoyancy hull plug; and a riser that is collapsible through a water column, wherein the buoyancy hull plug supports the riser and the mooring lines while disconnected from the floating drilling unit.

Abstract: A mooring system for a floating vessel such as a drilling unit is provided. The floating vessel has a platform for providing drilling, production or other operations in a marine environment, and a tower for providing ballast and stability below a water line in the marine environment. The mooring system generally includes a plurality of anchors disposed radially around the tower along a seabed, and a plurality of mooring lines. Each mooring line has a first end operatively connected to the tower, and a second end operatively connected to a respective anchor. Each mooring line further comprises at least two substantially rigid links joined together using linkages. Each joint is at least five meters in length. The mooring system is capable of maintaining station-keeping for the vessel greater than about 100 Mega-Newtons such that operations may be conducted when the marine environment is substantially iced over.

Abstract: The present invention discloses apparatuses, systems, and methods for operating a marine vessel, drilling subsea wells, and producing hydrocarbons therefrom. The marine vessel comprises at least two matching pairs of controlled azimuthing propulsion devices to ice-vane the vessel in the event of a changing ice drift or other conditions and keep station in a body of water containing pack ice. In one embodiment, a matching pair of azimuthing propulsion devices are provided. In one embodiment, the propulsion devices share a single physical axis of rotation and in another each propulsion device has its own physical axis of rotation. In another embodiment, the azimuthing propulsion devices are controlled by an automatic control system with a feedback loop. In yet another embodiment, the vessel is substantially oblong having a centrally mounted turret with mooring lines capable of disconnecting from the vessel.

Abstract: A mooring system for a floating vessel such as a drilling unit is provided. The floating vessel has a platform for providing drilling, production or other operations in a marine environment, and a tower for providing ballast and stability below a water line in the marine environment. The mooring system generally includes a plurality of anchors disposed radially around the tower along a seabed, and a plurality of mooring lines. Each mooring line has a first end operatively connected to the tower, and a second end operatively connected to a respective anchor. Each mooring line further comprises at least two substantially rigid links joined together using linkages. Each joint is at least five meters in length. The mooring system is capable of maintaining station-keeping for the vessel greater than about 100 Mega-Newtons such that operations may be conducted when the marine environment is substantially iced over.

Abstract: The present invention discloses apparatuses, systems, and methods for operating a marine vessel, drilling subsea wells, and producing hydrocarbons therefrom. The marine vessel comprises at least two matching pairs of controlled azimuthing propulsion devices to ice-vane the vessel in the event of a changing ice drift or other conditions and keep station in a body of water containing pack ice. In one embodiment, a matching pair of azimuthing propulsion devices are provided. In one embodiment, the propulsion devices share a single physical axis of rotation and in another each propulsion device has its own physical axis of rotation. In another embodiment, the azimuthing propulsion devices are controlled by an automatic control system with a feedback loop. In yet another embodiment, the vessel is substantially oblong having a centrally mounted turret with mooring lines capable of disconnecting from the vessel.

Abstract: A robotic manipulator provides three degrees of freedom of movement of an end effector or gripper using only motors which are mounted on a frame. Included is a first actuator assembly providing rotation of a first input link about first and second axes. A compound motor provides this rotation about two axes through a differential gear mechanism. A second actuator provides rotation of a second input link about a third axis. The two input links are each connected to an output link, which in turn are connected, with an end effector being disposed on the end of one of the output links.