KR102214432B1 - Production support and storage vessel - Google Patents

Abstract

Production support and storage vessels are provided, as well as methods for processing materials such as ore collected from the seabed using such vessels. Production support and storage vessels have facilities to receive or process ore from the seabed and to store ore in bulk storage silos. In addition, production support and storage vessels have ballast capabilities and systems that balance the vessel down to the full working waterline. If necessary, typically on a weekly basis, transport vessels are moored to production support and storage vessels, and production support and storage vessels transfer the stored ore using a conveyor system.

Description

Production support and storage vessel {PRODUCTION SUPPORT AND STORAGE VESSEL}

The present invention relates to a production support and storage vessel (PSSV). Specifically, the present invention relates to a production support and storage vessel for subsea mining activities, and to a vessel including a mining and processing facility, a bulk storage for collected subsea material, and a self-discharging capability, but is not limited thereto.

Reference to background art in this specification should not be construed as an admission that such technology constitutes general knowledge common in Australia or elsewhere.

Subsea mining operations involve collecting subsea material and transporting it to the surface. Typically, the seabed material is collected and pumped to a support vessel on the surface, usually through a riser. The support vessel dewaters the seabed material to an acceptable transport moisture limit, and the seabed material is then handed over to a transport vessel such as a small bulk carrier or barge. The superficial support vessel contains a relatively small subsea ore storage facility used to provide a buffer. The storage capacity of the buffer typically does not exceed the daily output.

Transport vessels transport seabed material to storage vessels that contain bulk reservoirs for the collected seabed material. Alternatively, depending on the proximity of the subsea mining operation to land, the transport vessel can transport the subsea material directly to a storage facility on land. Either way, typically two or three transport vessels should be used to provide sufficient capacity to transport the seabed material collected from the support vessel to the storage vessel or facility, and more vessels should be used for longer distances. do. Once enough ore has been stored, the ore is shipped on an export vessel that takes the ore to the market.

Therefore, in receiving and transporting submarine materials, logistics requires a sufficient fleet of ships. This increases the cost and complexity of transporting the collected seabed material from the place of origin to the market. In addition, in some cases more than 500 times per year, many mooring operations between ships are required. Each mooring operation has the potential for ship collision and equipment damage.

Not only does a large number of mooring operations reduce efficiency and increase cost, but mooring operations are considered a relatively high-risk procedure in which personal injury occurs, and therefore each mooring operation presents a significant workplace health and safety risk. Each time cargo is handled between ships, there is also a risk of environmental pollution.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a production support vessel that overcomes or improves one or more of the aforementioned drawbacks or problems, or at least provides a useful alternative.

Other preferred objects of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description below.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a production support vessel for use in water bodies, the production support vessel comprising the following configuration:

A seabed material receiver for receiving seabed material from below the surface of the water body;

A subsea material processor for processing subsea material from the subsea material receiver;

One or more bulk storage silos for storing processed subsea material from the subsea material processor;

A loading system configured to distribute processed subsea material to the bulk storage silo; And

An unloading system configured to transfer the processed seabed material from the bulk storage silo to a transport vessel moored next to the production support vessel.

Preferably, the bulk storage silo occupies a significant portion, preferably a majority, of the interior space formed by the hull of the production support vessel. The at least one bulk storage silo preferably has a combined capacity of more than a week's output, preferably 20,000 tons or more, more preferably 30,000 tons ore, even more preferably 40,000 tons or more combined capacity. Have.

In a preferred form, four bulk storage silos are provided with a combined capacity of 40,000 to 50,000 tonnes of ore, preferably approximately 45,000 tonnes. Four bulk storage silos are preferably arranged in two pairs of adjacent bulk storage silos. A pair of adjacent bulk storage silos is preferably located on the aft side, and the other pair of adjacent bulk storage silos is preferably located on the bow side. The bulk storage silos are preferably aligned along the longitudinal axis of the ship.

The loading system preferably distributes subsea material, preferably ore, from the subsea material processor to the one or more bulk storage silos. Preferably, the loading system comprises one or more loading conveyors, preferably comprising one or more scrapers or chain conveyors, for distributing the ore to bulk storage silos. In a preferred form, a single loading system can distribute the ore to any of the bulk storage silos. Preferably, the loading system also has the ability to bypass the storage silos and deliver the ore directly to the transport vessel moored next to the production support vessel. Preferably, the loading system comprises longitudinal and transverse conveyors for distributing the ore to the bulk storage silos. Desirably, the ore is evenly distributed to each bulk storage silo, maximizing the volume stored and providing ship loading ballast and stability considerations.

The unloading system preferably further comprises at least one unloading conveyor system, wherein the unloading conveyor system recovers subsea material, preferably ore, from the one or more bulk storage silos and unloads it onto the transport vessel. Preferably, the unloading conveyor system comprises at least one scooper, more preferably at least one longitudinal scooper and at least one transverse scraper. The unloading system also preferably comprises a vertical lifter for receiving material from the scoop, preferably a bucket elevator, and a boom conveyor for receiving material from the vertical lifter. The boom conveyor is preferably configured to transfer submarine material to a transport vessel, generally.

In an alternative form, the unloading conveyor system includes at least one mechanical grab, which grabs the ore to a hopper that feeds the vertical lifter system. The unloading system also preferably comprises a vertical lifter for receiving material from the grab and hopper, preferably a C-shaped conveyor, and a boom conveyor for receiving material from the vertical lifter. The boom conveyor is preferably configured to transfer subsea material, generally to a transport vessel.

In a preferred form, two unloading conveyor systems are provided, the first unloading conveyor system recovers ore from an adjacent first pair of bulk storage silos, and the second unloading conveyor system is provided with an adjacent second pair of bulk storage silos. Ore is recovered from Part of the first unloading conveyor system is preferably located between each bulk storage silo of an adjacent first pair of bulk storage silos, and a part of the second unloading conveyor system is preferably located between the adjacent second pair of bulk storage silos. It is located between each of the bulk storage silos. In a preferred form, each unloading conveyor system comprises longitudinal and transverse scoops in each pair of bulk storage silos, a bucket elevator or C-shaped conveyor between each pair of bulk storage silos, and a boom conveyor.

The subsea material receiver preferably comprises at least a portion of the riser, and the subsea material processor preferably comprises a dewatering plant. The subsea material processor may include a lime storage and dosing system.

The production support vessel preferably further comprises at least one crane. In a preferred form, the production support vessel comprises two cranes, a front crane and a rear crane, which cranes are preferably located on the same side of the vessel.

The crane preferably has a workable range covering substantially all parts of the ship except for the majority of the ship, preferably the management and receiving part. The management and receiving part preferably comprises a leg and is preferably located at the front end of the vessel. A helipad is preferably provided over or adjacent to the care and receiving part. The receiving section preferably has a receiving facility for at least 100, more preferably at least 150 and even more preferably approximately 180 persons.

The vessel preferably further comprises one or more vehicle bays configured to store submarine vehicles. The undersea vehicle is preferably an undersea mining vehicle that is unloaded and loaded from a ship through a vehicle bay. Preferably a lift winch and/or inlet power unit (HPU) is provided for unloading and loading each subsea mining vehicle. The vehicle bay may be provided for a seafloor stockpiling bulk cutter, a seafloor auxiliary cutter, and/or a seafloor collecting machine. In a preferred form, a vehicle bay and a corresponding winch and HPU are provided for each of the subsea stockpile bulk cutter, subsea auxiliary cutter, and subsea collecting machine.

The present vessel preferably further comprises a moon pool extending vertically through at least a portion of the vessel. The moonpool is preferably an open moonpool located at the center of the ship, preferably along the centerline of the ship. The moonpool is preferably substantially square or rectangular. In a preferred form, the moonpool is a 10 m x 10 m square. Preferably, a derrick is located adjacent to the moonpool. In a preferred form, the derrick is located directly above the moonpool.

The vessel preferably further comprises a dynamic positioning system. The dynamic positioning system preferably comprises a plurality of thrusters. In a preferred form, the dynamic positioning system includes a foreign body, a forward azimuth and a rear azimuth thruster. The dynamic positioning system is preferably a reserve system equivalent to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Class 2 or preferably Class 3 or higher.

This ship has a ballast system with sufficient capacity to balance the ship to its fully laden position. The ballast system can preferably be adjusted continuously to allow a substantially constant draft and freeboard during any loading and unloading operation or any launching and recovery operation.

In a preferred form, the vessel has a length between perpendiculars (BP) of 150 to 250 m, preferably 180 to 230 m, more preferably 200 to 220 m, most preferably approximately 210 m. In this preferred form, the present vessel has a breadth of 20 to 60 m, preferably 30 to 50 m, more preferably 35 to 45 m, most preferably approximately 40 m.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for treating material collected from the seabed, the method comprising the following steps:

Collecting seabed material using at least one subsea mining vehicle operating under water;

Delivering the collected seabed material to a surface vessel;

Treating the collected seabed material on the surface vessel;

Distributing treated subsea material to one or more bulk storage silos on the surface vessel;

Storing seabed material processed on the surface vessel in the one or more bulk storage silos; And

Transferring the treated seabed material from the one or more bulk storage silos to a transport vessel.

The vessel is preferably the production support vessel described herein. The step of delivering the collected seabed material to the surface vessel includes transferring the collected seabed material to the surface vessel using a riser. The step of treating the collected seabed material on a surface vessel comprises dewatering the collected seabed material, preferably prior to distributing the treated seabed material to said one or more bulk storage silos. Preferably, the method further comprises adjusting the ballast to maintain a substantially constant draft and freeboard during any loading and unloading operation or any launching and recovery operation.

The step of storing the treated seabed material on the ship preferably comprises storing at least a full day's output, more preferably at least three days' output, even more preferably at least five days' output. In a preferred form, the step of storing the treated seabed material on the ship comprises storing at least one week's output, the weekly output being preferably approximately 45,000 tonnes of treated seabed material.

The method may further include transferring the subsea mining vehicle onto the vessel and lowering the one or more subsea mining vehicles from the vessel onto the seabed. The method may also further include the step of recovering the one or more subsea mining vehicles from the seabed and positioning the subsea mining vehicles on the vessel. Preferably the seabed is deeper than 500 m below sea level, more preferably more than 1,000 m below sea level, even more preferably deeper than 2,000 m below sea level, The step comprises putting down and recovering the vehicle over a distance of at least 500 m, more preferably 1,000 m, even more preferably 2,000 m.

Advantageously, transferring the stored subsea material from the one or more bulk storage silos to a transport vessel comprises transporting the stored subsea material from the sea to a transport vessel. Preferably, the subsea material is transported using one or more scoops, one or more bucket elevators or C-shaped conveyors, and one or more boom conveyors. The step of transporting the stored seabed material, preferably using a scoop, recovers the stored seabed material from the one or more bulk storage silos, and transfers the seabed material to a boom conveyor that transfers the seabed material to the transport vessel. And placing the recovered subsea material in the conveying bucket elevator.

Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described more completely below with reference to the accompanying drawings by way of example only.

1 is a partially transparent side view of a production support vessel according to an aspect of the present invention.
2 is a plan view of the production support ship shown in FIG. 1.
3 is a plan view of the production support vessel shown in FIG. 1 on which the transport vessel is moored.
4 is a plan view showing the deck of the production support vessel shown in FIG.
5 is a cross-sectional view of the production support ship shown in FIG. 1.
6 is a flow diagram of an overview of a method according to an aspect of the invention.

1-5 illustrate a production support vessel 100 with a hull 110 supporting a mining and processing facility portion 120 and a management and receiving portion 180. The ship 100 has a riser 200-type subsea material receiver connected to a subsea mining facility (not shown), and this subsea material receiver is generally 1,000 to 2,500 meters deep below the sea level during subsea mining operations. Works on

The subsea material processor in the form of a dewatering plant 300 is provided to process the seabed material received from the riser 200 and, once treated, transfer the seabed material to one of the four bulk storage silos 400, 420, 440, 460. . A lime storage and injection plant 302 is also provided to enable the treatment of subsea material to reduce oxidation of fines ores.

The mining processing equipment portion 120 of the production support vessel 100 includes two cranes, namely a front crane 122 and a rear crane 124. Both the front crane 122 and the rear crane 124 are located on the port side of the ship 100 and have a front workable range 122' and a rear workable range 124' as shown in FIG. . The front and rear workable ranges 122', 124' cover most of the vessel 100 except for the management and receiving portion 180.

The mining and processing facility portion 120 of the production support vessel 100 has three vehicle bays for storing subsea mining vehicles used for subsea mining operations, which vehicle bays are reserved bulk cutter (SBC) vehicle bays ( 126), auxiliary cutter (AC) vehicle bay 128, and collection machine (CM) vehicle bay 130, and accommodates SBC 126', AC 128', and CM 130'. . Submarine vehicles, ie SBC 126', AC 128', and CM 130', are loaded and unloaded from their respective vehicle bays 126, 128, 130 of the production support vessel 100, respectively.

Adjacent to the SBC vehicle bay 126 is an SBC lift winch 132 and an SBC hydraulic power unit 134, and adjacent to the AC vehicle bay 128 is an AC lift winch 136 and an AC hydraulic power unit 138. There is a CM lift winch 140 and a CM hydraulic power unit 142 adjacent to the CM vehicle bay 130. Lift winches 132, 136, 140 and hydraulic power units 134, 138, 142 are used to load and unload SBC 126', AC 128', and CM 130' from ship 100. I can.

The derrick 144 is provided to extend vertically above the moonpool 146 of 10 square meters, and the moonpool extends vertically through the hull 110 of the ship 100 as shown in FIG. 1. The riser 200 passes through the moonpool 146 to a facility located on the seabed or close to the seabed during subsea mining operations. Moonpool 146 is located generally in the center on the ship 100, and is centered with respect to the center line 10 of the ship. Adjacent to the moonpool 146 is a derrick lower structure 144'.

The management and receiving portion 180 of the production support vessel 100 has a plurality of floors providing management and accommodation space. In a preferred embodiment, accommodation and facilities for approximately 180 people are provided. The leg 182 is located on the top floor of the management and receiving portion 180, on which the helipad 184 is located.

Other services are located in the hull portion 110 including bulk ore storage silos 400, 420, 440, 460 and a power plant 112 that provides power to the vessel 100. The hull portion 110 of the vessel 100 has a large ballast capacity including a ballast 111 configured to maintain a substantially constant freeboard, that is, the height of the deck above sea level during subsea mining operations. The ballast capacity of the ship 100 is preferably sufficient to balance up to a full state in order to enable a constant draft and freeboard during loading and unloading operations.

The present ship 100 has a dynamic positioning system, which includes a plurality of azimuth thrusters, i.e., a rear azimuth thruster 114, a front azimuth thruster 116, and a foreign body azimuth thruster 118. The dynamic positioning system is a reserve system equivalent to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Class 2 or Class 3, which is generally capable of providing automatic and manual positioning and orientation control within predetermined environmental constraints, e.g. against fire or flooding. Has whether to tolerate component failure due to the loss of compartments.

Production support vessel 100 has a loading system comprising a loading conveyor 150, which loading conveyor preferably takes ore processed into bulk storage silos 400, 420, 440, 460 in dewatering plant 300. And a transverse chain conveyor for dispensing. The loading conveyor 150 may selectively distribute the processed ore to any of the bulk storage silos 400, 420, 440, and 460.

The production support vessel 100 has an unloading system comprising two unloading conveyor systems, each unloading conveyor system recovering ore from an adjacent pair of bulk storage silos 400, 420, 440, 460. The rear unloading conveyor system includes a longitudinal scoop 402 and a lateral scooper (not shown) located in the bulk storage silo 400, a longitudinal scoop 422 and a lateral scoop located in the bulk storage silo 420. Cooper (not shown), a vertical lifter in the form of a bucket elevator 430 positioned between the rear pair of bulk storage silos 400 and 420, and a boom conveyor 432. The front unloading conveyor system is similar to the rear unloading conveyor system, and the longitudinal scoop 442 and transverse scooper (not shown) located in the bulk storage silo 440, and the longitudinal scooper (not shown) located in the bulk storage silo 460. And a scoop 462 and a lateral scoop (not shown), a vertical lifter in the form of a bucket elevator 450 located between the front pair of bulk storage silos 440 and 460, and a boom conveyor 452.

The boom conveyors 432 and 452 have respective offload ranges 432' and 452' shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Specifically, in FIG. 3, the transport vessel 50 is shown as being moored on the production support vessel 100. Transport vessel 50 has a plurality of cargo hold 52, each cargo hold being at least partially covered by the off-road ranges 432', 452' of the boom conveyors 432, 452. . In the preferred embodiment, the transport vessel 50 has a total transport capacity of approximately 30,000 tonnes DWT.

The boom conveyors 432 and 452 have the ability to raise and lower an earth moving machine (not shown) into and out of the hold 52 of the ship 50. The earthmoving machine can level the material conveyed to the hold 52 of the ship 50. This leveling ensures complete transport of the treated material in the hold 52. Earthmoving machinery (not shown) is stored on the deck of the ship 100.

In a preferred embodiment, the production support vessel 100 has a waterline (BP) length of approximately 210 m, an overall length (OA) of approximately 227 m, and an overall width of approximately 40 m. The dimensions of the production support vessel 100 are chosen very carefully, and the layout of the components is carefully designed, providing a single vessel 100 supporting all surface support aspects of the subsea mining operation.

In use, the production support ship carries SBC (126'), AC (128'), and CM (130') vehicles to move to the desired area. The vehicle is unloaded onto the seabed to begin subsea mining operations to collect subsea material (step 1000 in Fig. 6). The collected seabed material is delivered to the production support vessel 100 from the seabed, which is generally 1,000 m or more below sea level, through the riser 200, where the seabed material is treated by the dewatering plant 300 (step 1200 in FIG. 6). ), is distributed to bulk storage silos 400, 420, 440, 460 (step 1300 in FIG. 6). Then, the treated seabed material is stored in bulk storage silos 400, 420, 440, 460 (step 1400 in Fig. 6), and subsequently in bulk storage silos 400, 420, 440, 460 in transport vessels ( 50) (step 1500 in Fig. 6). Due to the relatively large capacity of the bulk storage silos (400, 420, 440, 460), the ore is delivered to the bulk storage silos (400, 420, 440, 460) for approximately one week before being unloaded by the transport vessel 50 and therein. Is stored in.

When unloading ore from the bulk storage silos (400, 420, 440, 460), the scooper (402, 422, 442, 462) is the ore from the top of the ore stored in the bulk storage silo (400, 420, 440, 460). Is scraped and transferred to the bucket elevators 430 and 450. Then, the bucket elevators 430 and 450 transfer the ore to the boom conveyors 432 and 452, and the boom conveyor transfers the ore to the dock 52 of the transport vessel 50. Then, the transport vessel 50 transports the ore to a desired region, such as a market, and the production support vessel 100 continues to receive, process and store the ore from the subsea mining operation.

Advantageously, the production support vessel 100 is transportable and of subsea mining operations including transporting and deploying subsea mining vehicles, SBC 126', AC 128', and CM 130'. Being able to handle all aspects, it accepts and processes the collected seabed material and provides bulk storage for the treated seabed material, without the need to accumulate seabed material in additional storage locations such as silo ships or land It allows the large transport vessel 50 to subsequently receive the submarine material and take it directly to the market or the like.

Compared to traditional production support vessels, the reduced number of mooring operations significantly increases efficiency, while also reducing the risk of collision, personal injury, or environmental pollution. All in all, safety and efficiency are also increased as there are fewer manpower, perishable, and refueling operations.

The large ballast of the production support vessel 100 reduces the impact between the launch and recovery of the mining facility and the ship mooring operation, especially in the case of transferring a very large amount of stored material to the transport vessel 50. The ballast also allows the vessel 100 to adjust the waterline or trim and/or heel to the work performed by or with the vessel 100. By ensuring that the waterline and freeboard of the ship are kept constant during loading and unloading operations and mooring operations, the mooring and lifting operations are simplified to increase safety, and the risk of accidents due to changes in the relative freeboard between the two ships is also reduced. The ballast can be adjusted to maintain freeboard at the maximum summer load waterline, maintaining a constant freeboard during all lifting operations, including launching and recovery of the mining machine, and during subsea lifts to reduce risk and increase safety during such lifting. By maintaining a low and constant freeboard, the distance from the ship deck to the water surface is minimized, which makes the lift more adjustable.

In addition, since the production support vessel 100 has a relatively large mass that can be maintained high with a large ballast capacity, the vessel 100 is more stable and has a reduced movement, as a result, the dynamic positioning system is the vessel ( 100) consumes less fuel to keep it in place. The increased mass advantageously reduces the movement of the ship, improving crew stability and safety.

The production support vessel 100 is advantageously not large enough to require significantly higher power requirements or more than two cranes 122, 124 to service the deck, to accommodate the equipment necessary for subsea mining operations. It is designed to be of sufficient size and is designed to provide sufficient bulk storage capacity to be transferred to the transport vessel 50 approximately every week. Careful design and layout has been undertaken to provide an all-in-one vessel with an efficient and manageable size.

There are several variations of equipment that can be used to load and unload vessels with the preferred arrangements described herein. The described loading and unloading system is desirable because the volume for ore storage can be maximized by minimizing the space occupied by the shipping and unloading equipment.

In this specification, what is referred to as the seabed is for convenience only, and can be equally applied to other water bodies such as a lake with a lake bottom.

In this specification, adjectives such as first and second, left and right, top and bottom, etc. do not necessarily require or imply any substantial such relationship or order, and distinguish only one element or action from another element or action. Can be used to Where context permits, reference to an integer or component or step (etc.) is not to be construed as being limited to only one of such integer or component or step, but to one or more such integers or components or steps, etc. I can.

The foregoing description of various embodiments of the present invention is provided for the purpose of explaining to those of ordinary skill in the art. It is not intended to represent all content or to limit the invention to the single disclosed embodiment. As described above, various alternatives and modifications of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the above teaching. Thus, while some embodiments have been specifically discussed, other embodiments are apparent to or will be developed relatively easily by those skilled in the art. The present invention is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and variations of the invention discussed herein and other embodiments that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention described above.

In this specification, “comprises”, “have” or similar terms are intended to mean non-exclusive inclusion, so that a method, system, or apparatus comprising the listed elements does not include such elements alone, but rather It may contain other elements that are not.

Claims (42)

As a production support vessel for use in water bodies,
A seabed material receiver for receiving solid seabed material from below the surface of the water body;
A subsea material processor for processing solid subsea material from the subsea material receiver;
One or more bulk storage silos for storing processed solid subsea material from the subsea material processor;
A loading system configured to distribute processed solid subsea material to the bulk storage silo;
An unloading system configured to transfer the processed solid seabed material from the bulk storage silo to a transport vessel moored next to the production support vessel; And
A production support vessel, further comprising a ballast system that can be continuously adjusted to allow a constant freeboard. The method of claim 1,
The bulk storage silo occupies a majority of the inner space formed by the hull of the production support vessel. The method of claim 1,
Wherein the solid seabed material is ore, and the one or more bulk storage silos have a combined capacity of greater than a week's output. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the combined capacity of the bulk storage silo is greater than 20,000 tons of ore. The method of claim 1,
Wherein the one or more bulk storage silos are composed of four bulk storage silos. The method of claim 5,
The four bulk storage silos have a combined capacity of 40,000 to 50,000 tons of ore. The method of claim 1,
The bulk storage silo is arranged along the longitudinal axis of the production support vessel. The method of claim 1,
A production support vessel in which a single loading system is provided to distribute ore to any of a plurality of bulk storage silos. The method of claim 1,
Wherein the loading system comprises longitudinal and transverse conveyors for distributing ore to the bulk storage silo. The method of claim 1,
The unloading system comprises at least one unloading conveyor system, wherein the unloading conveyor system recovers the stored solid seabed material from the one or more bulk storage silos and unloads it to the transport vessel. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the unloading conveyor system comprises at least one scooper. The method of claim 10,
The production support vessel, wherein the unloading system comprises a vertical lifter. The method of claim 12,
The vertical lifter is a bucket elevator, a production support vessel. The method of claim 12,
The vertical lifter is a C-shaped conveyor, production support vessel. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the unloading system comprises a boom conveyor configured to transfer the solid seabed material to the transport vessel. The method of claim 10,
Two unloading conveyor systems are provided, the first unloading conveyor system recovers ore from the adjacent first pair of bulk storage silos, and the second unloading conveyor system recovers ore from the adjacent second pair of bulk storage silos. That, production support shipping. The method of claim 1,
Wherein the subsea material receiver comprises at least a portion of a riser. The method of claim 1,
The subsea material processor comprises a dewatering plant. The method of claim 18,
A production support vessel, wherein a conveyor distributes the treated ore from the dewatering plant to the bulk storage silo. The method of claim 1,
Wherein the subsea material processor comprises a lime storage and dosing system. The method of claim 1,
The production support vessel further comprising one or more vehicle bays configured to store subsea vehicles. The method of claim 21,
The subsea vehicle is an undersea mining vehicle that is unloaded and loaded from the production support vessel through the vehicle bay. The method of claim 22,
A production support vessel, provided with a lift winch and hydraulic power unit (HPU) for unloading and loading each subsea mining vehicle. The method of claim 1,
A production support vessel further comprising a moon pool extending vertically through at least a portion of the production support vessel. The method of claim 24,
The production support vessel further comprising a derrick located adjacent to the moonpool. The method of claim 1,
A production support vessel, further comprising a ballast system having sufficient capacity to balance the production support vessel to a fully laden position. The method of claim 26,
The ballast system can be continuously adjusted to allow a constant draft and freeboard during any loading and unloading operation or any launching and recovery operation. The method of claim 1,
The production support vessel has a between perpendiculars (BP) length of 150 to 250 m, and a breadth of 20 to 60 m. As a method of processing material collected from the seabed,
Collecting solid seabed material using at least one subsea mining vehicle operating under water;
Delivering the collected solid seabed material to a surface vessel;
Treating the collected solid seabed material on the surface vessel;
Distributing the treated solid subsea material to one or more bulk storage silos on the surface vessel;
Storing the treated solid seabed material on the surface vessel in the one or more bulk storage silos;
Transferring the treated solid seabed material from the one or more bulk storage silos to a transport vessel; And
A method of treating material collected from the seabed, comprising the step of continuously adjusting the ballast to allow a constant freeboard. The method of claim 29,
The method of processing material collected from the seabed, further comprising the step of adjusting the ballast to allow a constant draft and freeboard during any loading and unloading operation or any launching and recovery operation. The method of claim 29,
The step of transferring the collected solid seabed material to the surface vessel comprises the step of transferring the collected solid seabed material to the surface vessel using a riser, a method of processing material collected from the seabed. The method of claim 29,
The step of treating the collected solid seabed material on the surface vessel comprises dehydrating the collected solid seabed material. The method of claim 32,
A method of treating material collected from the seabed, wherein the dewatered collected solid seabed material is transferred from a dewatering plant to one or more bulk storage silos on the surface vessel via a conveyor. The method of claim 30,
The step of treating the collected solid seabed material on the surface vessel comprises the step of using a lime storage and injection plant on the surface vessel to reduce oxidation of the solid seabed material, treating material collected from the seabed. Way. The method of claim 30,
Transporting the subsea mining vehicle onto the surface vessel, and lowering the subsea mining vehicle from the surface vessel onto the seabed. The method of claim 35,
And recovering at least one subsea mining vehicle from the seabed and placing the subsea mining vehicle on the surface vessel. The method of claim 29,
A method for processing material collected from the seabed, wherein the seabed is deeper than 500 m below sea level. The method of claim 29,
Transferring the stored solid seabed material from the one or more bulk storage silos to a transportation vessel comprises transferring the stored solid seabed material from the sea to the transportation vessel. The method of claim 29,
Transferring the stored solid seabed material may include recovering the stored solid seabed material from the one or more bulk storage silos using a scoop, and transferring the solid seabed material to a boom conveyor that transfers the solid seabed material to the transport vessel A method of processing material collected from the seabed comprising the step of placing the recovered solid seabed material in a delivery bucket elevator. The method of claim 29,
The surface vessel is a production support vessel according to any one of claims 1 to 28, wherein the method for processing material collected from the seabed. delete delete

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