Abstract: A buoy for mooring vessels, has a rotatable turntable on the top, which rotates about the vertical axis of the buoy. A mooring yoke which couples to ships at one end has the other end pivotably attached to the turntable so that it is pivotable about a horizontal axis. The mooring yoke has bumper equipment on either side of the location of the pivotable axis so that its pivotable motion can be restricted to a predetermined arc.

Abstract: A mooring terminal for deep water mooring is provided having a mooring head to which ships can be attached while either receiving or unloading liquid products. The mooring head is constructed so that it can accommodate all motions of the ship and includes a pair of yoke arms carrying hoses external from the mooring head to the ship. The yoke arms are attached to the mooring head in a manner to be able to pivot about a horizontal axis. The mooring head is supported above a deck which can rotate about a vertical axis in a manner to be rotatable about an axis orthogonal to the axis about which the yoke arms rotate. A pipe extends through the tower and at the top is coupled to the hoses by means which are pivotable about the same axes as the mooring head.

Abstract: A mooring and cargo handling system for difficult-to-handle cargo such as liquified natural gas (LNG), is provided, which includes a swivel unit mounted on a mooring station and having rotatably connected sections respectfully coupled to a shore installation and to a ship that is moored to the mooring station. The swivel unit sections are connected by a rotary bearing and rotary outer seal, and the unit has a wall forming an auxiliary chamber extending along the bearing and seal, so that evaporating LNG must pass through the auxiliary chamber before it can escape through the bearing and outer seal. A gas pipe connects the auxiliary chamber to the ship or the shore installation where the evaporated gas can be flared or reliquified.