OA13352A - Sea vessel docking station. - Google Patents

Sea vessel docking station. Download PDF

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Publication number
OA13352A
OA13352A OA1200600216A OA1200600216A OA13352A OA 13352 A OA13352 A OA 13352A OA 1200600216 A OA1200600216 A OA 1200600216A OA 1200600216 A OA1200600216 A OA 1200600216A OA 13352 A OA13352 A OA 13352A
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OAPI
Prior art keywords
docking station
wet
adjustable
vessel
vessels
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OA1200600216A
Inventor
Charles H King
Eric E Maidla
Keith Millheim
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Anadarko Petroleum Corp
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Publication of OA13352A publication Critical patent/OA13352A/en

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    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63CLAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS
    • B63C1/00Dry-docking of vessels or flying-boats
    • B63C1/02Floating docks
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63BSHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
    • B63B35/00Vessels or similar floating structures specially adapted for specific purposes and not otherwise provided for
    • B63B35/44Floating buildings, stores, drilling platforms, or workshops, e.g. carrying water-oil separating devices

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Civil Engineering (AREA)
  • Structural Engineering (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Architecture (AREA)
  • Filling Or Discharging Of Gas Storage Vessels (AREA)
  • Earth Drilling (AREA)
  • Warehouses Or Storage Devices (AREA)
  • Ship Loading And Unloading (AREA)
  • Management, Administration, Business Operations System, And Electronic Commerce (AREA)
  • Revetment (AREA)
  • Geophysics And Detection Of Objects (AREA)

Abstract

A system and method in which a buoyant central docking station captures, lifts and couples one or more other sea vessels is disclosed, wherein a flexible, modularized production system is quickly realized on a cost effective basis. The capabilities of a number of older, less expensive, readily available vessels are combined to achieve an effective FPSO substitute that allows lower producing fields to be explored and produced in a profitable manner. The time horizon between initiation and consummation of field operations is reduced, and older vessels that might otherwise be scrapped or retired are again made useful and seaworthy in a safe and profitable exploration and production environment.

Description

Anaàarko Petroleum Corporation 013352
SEA VESSEL DOCKING STATION
Background of the Invention
The présent invention relates generally to offshore oil and gas exploration and5 production Systems, and in a spécifie, non-limiting embodiment, to a System andmethod of capturing, lifting and coupling a plurality of sea vessels using a centralizedwet docking station, so that relative deck sizes are effectively increased, andequipment packages and other facilities are exchanged between the decks of captured vessels in a stable and efficient manner. 10 *
Background of the Invention
Innumerable Systems and methods hâve been employed in efforts to find andrecover hydrocarbon reserves around the world. At first, such efforts were limited toland operations involving simple but effective drilling methods that satisfactorily 15 recovered reserves from large, productive fields. As the number of known producingfields dwindled, however, it became necessary to search in ever more remote locales,and to move far offshore, in the search for new resources. Eventually, sophisticateddrilling Systems and advanced signal processing techniques enabled energycompanies to search virtually anywhere in the world for recoverable hydrocarbons. 20 Initially, deepwater exploration and production efforts consisted of expensive,
large scale drilling operations supported by tanker storage and transportation Systems,due primarily to the fact that most offshore drilling sites are associated with difficultand hazardous sea conditions, and thus large scale operations provided the most stableand cost-effective manner in which to search for and recover hydrocarbon reserves. A 25 major drawback to the large-scale paradigm, however, is that explorers and producers 1 01335 2 hâve little financial incentive to work smaller reserves, since potential fïnancialrecovery is generally offset by the lengthy delay between exploration and production(approximately 3 to 10 years), and by the large capital investment required forconventional platforms and related drilling, production and transportation equipment.Moreover, complex regulatory Controls and industry-wide risk aversion hâve led tostandardization, leaving operators with few opportunities to signifïcantly alter theprevailing paradigm. As a resuit, offshore drilling operations hâve traditionally beenburdened with long delays between investment and profit, excessive cost overruns,and slow, inflexible recovery strategies dictated by the operational environment.
More recently, deepwater sites hâve been found in which much of the dangerand instability usually présent in such operations can be avoided. For example, offthe coast of West Africa, Indonesia and Brazil, potential drilling sites hâve beenidentified where surrounding seas and weather conditions are relatively mild and calmin comparison to other, more volatile sites such as the Gulf of Mexico and the NorthSea. These recently discovered sites tend to hâve favorable producing characteristics,yield positive exploration success rates, and admit to production using simpleextraction and transportation techniques similar to those employed in dry land or near-shore operations.
However, since lognormal distributions of recoverable reserves tend to bespread over a large number of small fields, each of which yield less than wouldnormally be required in order to justify the expense of a conventional large-scaleoperation, most such régions hâve to date been underexplored and underproducedrelative to their potential. Consequently, many potentially productive smaller fieldshâve already been discovered, but remain undeveloped due to économie considérations. 2 013352
Currently, most deep water exploration and production operations arefacilitated by means of a large, expensive floating production and storage offtake(FPSO) vessel, which is used to arrange and store essentially ail of the facilities andequipment packages likely to be required aboard a single ship, with lesser vesselsbeing employed only in support rôles for purposes such as transporting crews backand forth ftom shore, delivery of new or replacement equipment packages, etc.
As seen in prior art Figure 1, for example, an FPSO System 100 similar tothose presently being employed in the field is depicted, wherein the FPSO comprisesa large deck surface (e.g., in excess of about 20,000 square feet) capable ofaccommodating useful operational structures such as a helicopter pad 101; officer,crew and control rooms 102; a water treatment facility 103; one or more fluidinjection pumps 104; one or more oil, gas, sand and water separators 105; a gastreatment injection facility 106; a power generator 107; and a gas flare 108.
The FPSO has deck space for uploading additional equipment packages fromother vessels on an as-needed basis, and serves as a central station for the entireexploration and production operation. In one common application, the FPSO is heldin place during operations by a mooring System using a plurality of mooring lines (notshown) that are tied off to other vessels, mooring buoys, etc. In alternativeembodiments, the FPSO is moored to a turret, so that it essentially revolves around afixed point; and in a further embodiment, the FPSO is dynamically positioned, so thatit is allowed to move in response to wave and swell actions, while still being held inposition relative to the support vessels and drilling sites in the surrounding area. A modem FPSO used to service subsea production wells 110 and/or injectionwells 111 will typically hâve a keel length of between about 900 and 1,500 feet, witha storage section 109 having a storage capacity of between about 500,000 barrels and 3 01 335 2 about four million barrels disposed beneath the ship’s deck surface. In vessels wherethe storage volume is essentially zéro but ail of the other facilities and equipmentpackages necessary for injection and production operations are présent, the vessel isinstead called a floating production unit (FPU). 5 While relatively effective in deepwater environments, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that FPSO Systems also hâve several major drawbacks. Forexample, a modem FPSO can take as long as eight to ten years from start-up tocompletion before it can be used at sea, and the total cost associated withmanufacturing the vessel can run in excess of one billion dollars. 10 Moreover, since an FPSO is so large and expensive to manufacture, only very large field operations {e.g., those producing about 50,000 barrels a day or more) willeconomically justify an operator’s investment in such a vessel. Consequently, a greatmany lesser fîelds (for example, fields hâve the capacity to yield only about 10,000barrels a day) are known by explorers to contain reserves, but are not being worked by 15 producers because the cost of production using an FPSO would exceed the profits that could be obtained from recoverable reserves.
Past efforts to provide simpler, less expensive vessel docking Systems includeU.S. Letters Patent No. 853,328 to Wiking, which discloses a pontoon-type floatingdock, which captures and lifts one or more vessels so as to serve as an extension of an 20 attendant dry dock. The Wiking System is déficient, however, in that it is useful “onlyfor small vessels,” lacks the buoyant capacity to capture and lift vessels of anysignificant size and weight (which is, of course, a critical aspect of any modemexploration and production System), and utterly fails to contemplate the coupling ofmultiple deck surfaces in order to form a larger, unified deck from which exploration 25 and production operations can be carried out. 4 013352
Similarly, U.S. Letters Patent No. 6,336,419 to Breivik discloses a bargehaving one or more docking stations formed at either end in which captive ships canbe docked, but fails to appreciate the advantages of lifting and coupling two or morevessels so that their respective deck surfaces are combined into a larger, unitary 5 surface from which exploration and production operations can be carried out withmaximum efficiency and safety.
There is, therefore, a need for a System and method of exploring andproducing offshore wells in such a manner that the functions of two or more vesselscan be combined to work the wells without interruption, and where a number of 10 closely disposed sites can be worked simultaneously by a limited number of such vessels.
There is also a need for a system and method by which a centralized, floatingdocking station provides access to a number of associated deck surfaces flexiblycapable of meeting the changing needs of operators during exploration and 15 production, so that the delay between operator investment and profit is minimized.
There is also a need to provide a substitute for existing floating production andstorage offtake vessels that admits to safe and reliable transfer of equipment packages(e.g., drilling packages, testing packages, production packages, workover packages,etc.) between and amongst associated deck surfaces, and for secure vessel connections 20 so that associated deck surfaces can be safely and easily connected and/ordisconnected during operations.
There is also a need to provide a surface vessel arrangement wherein aplurality of associated deck surfaces are complementary in function, so thatunnecessary delays and undesirable safety conditions are avoided throughout the 25 entirety of exploration and production. 5 013352
Finally, there is a need for vessel capturing, lifting and coupling Systems thatpermit older, less expensive and more widely available exploration and productionvessels to participate in offshore operations by serving as a platform from whichequipment packages and extracted hydrocarbon reserves are loaded, stored and 5 transported in a safe, efficient and well-organized manner. 6 013352
Summary of the Invention A wet docking station for exploring and producing offshore energy sites isprovided, in which the wet docking station includes at least: a buoyant central dockingstation; an adjustable buoyancy chamber for adjusting the buoyancy of the buoyant 5 central docking station; and at least one subordinate docking station for capturing andlifting at least one sea vessel. A method of exploring and producing offshore energy sites using a wetdocking station is also provided, in which the method includes at least: disposing abuoyant central docking station in communication with an adjustable buoyancy 10 chamber, wherein said adjustable buoyancy chamber is used to adjust the buoyancy ofsaid buoyant central docking station; and disposing the buoyant central dockingstation in communication with at least one subordinate docking station, wherein thesubordinate docking station is used to capture and lift at least one sea vessel. 7 01 335 2
Brief Description of the DrawingsFigure 1 is a side view of a floating production and storage ofïtake vesselpresently known in the prior art.
Figure 2 is a side view of an example wet docking station according to the 5 invention.
Figure 3 is a rear view of a combined central stabilizer and bumper guardstructure useful with the wet docking station depicted in Figure 2.
Figure 4 is the wet docking station depicted in Figure 3, shown after twovessels hâve been captured within the docking station. 10 Figure 5 is a rear view of a portion of the docking station depicted in Figure 4, shown with two ships that hâve already been captured being lifted and pinchedbetween a central divider and a plurality of side stabilizers.
Figure 6 is an elevated depiction of a wet docking station according to the invention. 15 Figure 7 is an elevated view of a wet docking station having additional storage capacity according to the invention.
Figure 8 is a rear view of a wet docking station used to load and offloadequipment, material, supplies, etc., between the decks of captured vessels.
Figure 9 is a front view of a wet docking station having additional storage 20 capacity and additional deck surface for accommodating and storing equipmentpackages, technical facilities, etc.
Figure 10 is a top view of an alternative wet docking System according to theinvention, in which a plurality of individual wet docks are coupled together. 8 013352
Figure 11 is a front view of the wet docking station depicted in Figure 10,wherein vessels of different sizes are shown captured, lifted and coupled together, so that associated deck surfaces are combined into a single, unitary whole. 9 013352
Detailed Description
The présent invention is directed to an offshore docking System in which anumber of multifunctional sea vessels are captured, lifted and coupled in a central“wet” dock using one or more adjustable buoyancy chambers. For the purposes ofthis application, a wet docking station is defîned as a docking station capable of risingup from beneath sea level to capture and couple one or more vessels, so that greaterdeck and storage space, and a more flexible combination of facilities and equipmentpackages, is achieved.
The buoyancy chambers are generally disposed beneath the hulls of either thewet docking station or the vessels captured within the dock (or both), so that thebuoyancy chambers are capable of transmitting a significant lifting force toward thebottom of the hulls; however, in some embodiments the adjustable buoyancychambers are disposed within the hull of the docking station itself, with extemalbuoyancy chambers being added to the System on an as-needed basis.
Once the captured vessels are lifted and secured within the central dockingstation, their deck surfaces are then coupled to one another, so that equipmentpackages, technical facilities, etc., can be quickly transferred between the vessels in asafe and controlled manner, thereby reducing the risk of accidents and collisions, aswell as establishing a large combined deck surface from which operations can becarried out. Consequently, project time horizons are reduced, and a flexible,modularized exploration and production System is achieved on a cost effective basis.
In the spécifie, non-limiting embodiment of the invention depicted in Figure 2,for example, a sea vessel docking station according to the invention comprises a ribshaped support hull or other central docking station 200; one or more adjustablebuoyancy chambers 201, which are held or connected to the bottom of the docking 10 013352 station 200 by adjustment control means 202; and one or more vessel capturingstations 203 used to capture incoming vessels prior to lifting and coupling themtogether.
In practice, adjustable buoyancy chamber 201 and the vessel capturing stations203 rise up from beneath the hull of a vessel and apply a significant lifting force,thereby lifting, supporting and pinching the vessel together in the arms of the dockingstation 200, so that a mutual deck surface can be established between the newlycaptured vessel and other, previously captured vessels in a safe and reliable manner.
In the depicted embodiment, the depth at which adjustable buoyancy chamber201 is disposed beneath the wave surface is controlled by an adjustable control means202, though in other embodiments adjustable buoyancy chamber 201 is disposed indirect communication with support hull 200. In still other embodiments, either (orboth) of adjustable buoyancy chamber 201 and adjustment control means 202 arewithheld from the System, and support hull 200 is instead equipped with one or morebuoyancy chambers (such as an internai ballast System), so that the depth of thedocking station is controlled by either flooding or evacuating the buoyancy chambersdisposed in support hull 200 with a fluid, such as sea water, pneumatic pressuresupplied from an outside source, etc.
During this process, the central docking station can be dynamically positionedwith respect to surrounding vessels and buoys (not shown), fïxed to a turret so that thestation revolves around a mooring, or simply tied off to suction anchors 204 or thelike using one or more sets of mooring lines 205.
As seen in the example embodiment depicted in Figure 3, portions of thecentral docking station 300 comprise a divider 301 disposed between the capturingstations, so that captured vessels cannot collide or transmit wave forces toward other 11 013352 vessels captured in the docking station 300. In other embodiments, outer portions ofdivider 301 and the inner portions 302 of the capturing stations are fîtted with shipbumpers 303 or the like, so that captured vessels can be lifted and pinched against thebumpers 303 by, for example, tying off the vessel against the bumpers using ropes or 5 chains, or by inwardly pivoting an arm of the station about a pivoting member 305.
In a further embodiment, captured vessels are lifted and held in place againstthe ship bumpers 303 by means of an adjustable buoyancy chamber 304. In caseswhere the captured vessels are of signifîcantly different sizes, an adjustable buoyancychamber 304 disposed in the capturing station can be used to lift the decks of the 10 vessels to a similar élévation, so that a mutual deck surface can be established between them, and equipment packages and the like can be transferred from ship toship.
As seen in the example embodiments depicted in Figures 4 and 5, however,vessels of similar size and dimensions 401, 402 and 501, 502, respectively, can be 15 captured and controlled in such a manner that adjoining deck surfaces are disposed ina relatively even and level plane without requiring a secondary buoyancy chamber tolift either vessel. In such embodiments, portions 400, 500 of the docking station willstill comprise primary buoyancy chambers used for raising the station up frombeneath the vessels and initiating the capturing process, and for sinking the station 20 back into the sea so that captured vessels can be maneuvered away to make room forother, newly acquired vessels.
Tuming now to the detailed, non-limiting embodiment depicted in Figure 6, awet docking station 600 according to the invention is shown which illustrâtes howtwo or more vessels can be captured, lifted and coupled in the station so that a unitary, 12 013352 multifunctional, sea-worthy vessel is created for furthering an exploration andproduction operation. A principle advantage of the System is that the total deck surface area of asmaller vessel 601 can effectively be increased by adding the deck surface area of a 5 second, adjoining vessel 602 that has been captured, lifted and coupled to the fîrstvessel 601. For example, if fîrst captured vessel 601 has a working deck space ofabout 150 in length and about 50 feet wide, then the total available workspace on thatvessel is about 7,500 square feet. Likewise, if second captured vessel 602 has aworking deck space of about 200 feet in length and 70 feet wide, then the total 10 available workspace is about 14,000 square feet. By lifting and coupling the twovessels together, however, a total available working deck space of about 21,500square feet (7,500 plus 14,000) is achieved.
In this particular example embodiment, fîrst captured vessel 601 is equippedwith one or more of a power generator 603; a water treatment facility 604; a water 15 injection package 605 with attendant water injection lines 617; and a crew housingand control unit 606. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, however, thatvirtually any number of other packages, production and storage units, stacks of riseror drilling equipment, etc., can instead be disposed on the fîrst vessel.
While such a vessel would be helpful for supporting an existing exploration 20 and production project, it lacks many of the structures and technical packagesnecessary to initiate and complété an ongoing operation. For example, fîrst capturedvessel 601 lacks an oil and gas separator, gas compression and injection units, an oiltreatment unit, and many other facilities and packages customarily found on floatingstorage and offtake vessels that might prove useful during operations. According to 25 the invention, therefore, a second vessel 602 is captured, raised to an essentially equal 13 01335 2 deck height as the first vessel, and then coupled to either the first vessel or thedocking station so that personnel can safely and reliably enjoy the advantages of bothvessels simultaneously, even as the two coupled vessels and the docking stationproceed as a single, unitary whole. 5 In the depicted embodiment, for example, captured second vessel 602 further comprises a helicopter pad 607; a gas compressor 608 having attendant gas injectionlines 616; oil, gas and/or water separators 609; a gas treatment unit 618; an oiltreatment unit 610; a gas flare boom 612; and a plurality of oil production lines 615.In one embodiment, the vessel is controlled by ballasting at least part of the docking 10 station down into the sea, and then floating the vessel over the docking station 600 sothat it can be captured and raised to the deck height of the first vessel. Altematively,at least part of the docking station 600 is ballasted down into the sea, moved beneaththe hull of the vessel intended for capture, and then raised, so that the vessel is nowsecurely held in the dock, and the facilities and packages disposed thereupon can be 15 used by operators in conjunction with the facilities and packages disposed on the firstcaptured vessel 601.
In this particular embodiment, since ail of the technical facilities andequipment packages necessary to carry ont operations in a typical exploration andproduction project are provided, it might not be necessary for any other vessels to be 20 brought in with additional equipment in order to complété the operation. However,should it tum out that additional facilities or packages are in fact required, one (orboth) of the vessels presently captured in the station can be released, and a third ship,a fourth ship, and so on, can be captured and employed to achieve the advantages oftheir technical configurations. 14 013352
In this embodiment, the station releases a captured vessel by employing aprotocol that is essentially the reverse of the capturing process. For example, if it isdésirable to release second captured vessel 602 from the station for some reason, atleast part of the station beneath the vessel is ballasted down until the vessel is free of 5 the frictional forces holding the vessel between central stabilizer 613 and side dockingribs 614; the vessel is then moved out of the station under its own power, towed out ofthe station using a support vessel, or sitnply held in place using either a tetheringSystem or dynamic positioning techniques while the station is moved out from under the vessel. 10 In the example embodiment of Figure 7, a barge-like storage tank 700 is equipped with a ribbed hull docking station comprising a central stabilizer 701 and aplurality of side stabilizers 702, which define a first vessel docking port 703 and asecond vessel docking port 704, as described above with respect to various otherembodiments. In this embodiment, however, a large fluid storage facility 705 is also 15 provided, wherein about 500,000 barrels of fluid can be stored during production, andthen discharged into a tanker when its storage capacity has been reached or isotherwise convenient for operators. The entire docking station, or, altematively, partof the docking station can be submerged beneath sea level 705 at any given time, solong as the station remains sufficiently stable to accommodate the lifting and coupling 20 of captured vessels.
As mentioned, it may at times be désirable to replace or remove equipmentpackages disposed on one or more of the vessels captured in the station. Thus, Figure8 depicts another embodiment of a sea vessel docking station according to theinvention, wherein the system’s improved loading and offloading capabilities are 25 emphasized. 15
As in previous embodiments, an offshore wet dock 800, within which aplurality of vessels 801, 802 are captured, is provided, comprising two or moredocking stations formed by a plurality of docking station inner surfaces 807, 808 anda plurality of lockable, pivoting side stabilizers 805, 806. The buoyancy of wet dock 5 800 is controlled by either an extemal buoyancy chamber, or by one or more internai ballast chambers used to either improve or retard the dock’s buoyancy characteristics,depending on whether water or another fluid is being pumped into or evacuated fromthe ballast chambers. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that suchballast chambers satisfy the définition of the term “adjustable buoyancy chamber” J 0 within the context of claimed design.
In such embodiments, the functionality of secondary buoyancy chambers 809, 810 can be replaced by a more conventional, mechanical lifting System (not shown)without departing from the scope of the invention. Other presently contemplatedmethods of leveling captured vessels’ decks include holding the height of one of the 15 deck surfaces in a static position while raising the deck surface of a second vessel,and/or holding one of the deck surfaces at a static height and then lowering the decksurface of the other vessel. Since many ships already include ballast Systems thatadmit to the raising and lowering of a deck surface by raising or lowering the profileof the entire vessel, it is also possible to utilize that functionality and avoid the need 20 for a secondary lifting System contained within the docking station in order to levelthe deck surfaces of captured vessels.
In this particular embodiment, wet dock 800 is further equipped with adocking station connecting member 811, comprised of one or more vertical supportmembers 812, a conveyer belt and roller assembly 813, and, in the depicted 25 embodiment, a spool for winding and unwinding cable or chain, etc., in response to 16 013352 winch system 814, 817, which feeds its line over pulley 816 so that cargo orequipment package 815 can be transferred from the deck of captured vessel 802 downonto the surface of conveyer belt and roller assembly 813. The cargo or equipmentpackage can then be moved doser to the deck surface 818 of captured vessel 801, or 5 else moved on board the deck surface 818 of captured vessel 801, so that operatorscan begin to use the equipment package 815 while captured vessel 802 is allowed toleave the docking station.
In a detailed example of this embodiment, captured vessel 802 has a testingpackage aboard that is usefiil in conjunction with an exploration package stored on 10 vessel 801. By coupling the raised deck surface of vessel 802 with the lower decksurface of the docking station 800, the testing package is transferred down onto thedeck surface of the docking station by means of an elevated winch and pulley system,a hoist, or a small crâne or the like. Continuing the process, vessel 802 is thenremoved from the docking station, and a third ship is captured and raised in its place, 15 so that additional equipment can be transferred onto the deck of docking station 800.
As seen in the example embodiment of Figure 9, a larger intermediate deck surface 907 disposed above the entirety (or part) of the docking station hull 900 willresuit in the création of a large, stable platform surface having a total area greater thaneven the combined deck surfaces 908, 909 of the captured vessels 901, 902 from 20 which additional operations can be carried oui. In some embodiments, a portion ofwet dock 900 is large enough to serve as a fluid storage container, which can be fullyor partially submerged beneath sea level until such time as a transfer of stored fluidsbecomes either désirable or necessary (e.g., in the case where the storage containerbecomes full of stored fluid during the course of operations). 17 013352
In the example embodiment depicted in Figure 10, the general-purpose hull ofthe prior embodiments is replaced with a floating frame 1000, within which anindividual vessel can be captured. Additional floating frames 1001, 1002, each ofwhich house other captured vessels 1003, 1004, are then connected to the first floatingframe 1000 using a known connecting means 1006 (e.g., ship bumpers, connectingrods, etc.), so that the résultant structure becomes coupled into a single, modularized whole.
In some embodiments, the entire structure is supported by an extemaladjustable buoyancy chamber (not shown); in other embodiments, however, thestructure is not supported by a separate buoyancy chamber, and instead relies on itsown ballast and weighting Systems to raise and lower the frames beneath desiredvessels’ hulls prior to capture.
In still other embodiments (see, for example, Figure 11), after the decksurfaces of the captured vessels 1103, 1104 are raised to a desired height, a mutualdeck surface 1111 or other, similar structure is fîtted over the topmost surfaces ofeach ship. In this manner, the two vessels 1103, 1104 are coupled, so that necessaryoperations can be carried out while the System continues to safely perform at sea as asingle unitary structure. For example, once the vessels 1103, 1104 hâve been coupledtogether, operators can thereafter use ail of the various equipment packages (e.g.,drilling packages, testing packages, production packages, workover packages, etc.)originally stored on the individual ships as if the packages were originally ail présenton a single FPSO.
In practicing the invention, a number of older, less expensive vessels can beused to duplicate the effectiveness of a far more costly, ftilly equipped, modem FPSOvessel, which in practice is often unavailable on short notice, or infeasible due to 18 013352 financial considérations. A principal advantage of the invention in this respect is thatships of any size, âge and hull design can be captured and coupled in the dockingstation, while the docking station itself proceeds at sea, essentially performing as anintegrated, unitary housing within which various ships are serviced. Since the 5 captured ships collectively contain ail of the equipment and design packages requiredto satisfy the many different needs of an exploration and production vessel, piecemealassembly of the technical packages required for any particular operation is achieved,without the need for a large, expensive, exploration and production vessel thatcontains ail of the equipment that might ever be useful in an operation irrespective of 10 whether it is actually needed in the application at hand.
In short, the invention disclosed herein provides a unique System and method by which a central docking station can capture, lift and couple a plurality of seavessels, so that a flexible, modularized production system is achieved on a costeffective basis. The capabilities of a number of older, less expensive vessels can be 15 combined to achieve an effective FPSO substitute that allows lower producing fieldsto be explored and produced in a profitable manner. Time horizons between initiationand consummation of field operations are reduced, and older vessels that mightotherwise be scrapped or retired are again made useful and seaworthy.
The foregoing spécification is provided for illustrative purposes only, and is 20 not intended to describe ail possible aspects of the présent invention. Moreover,while the invention has been shown and described in detail with respect to severalexemplary embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts will appreciatethat minor changes to the description, and various other modifications, omissions andadditions may also be made without departing from either the spirit or scope thereof. 19

Claims (21)

  1. 01 335 2 Claims
    1. A wet docking station for exploring and producing offshore energy sites, thewet docking station comprising: a buoyant central docking station; 5 an adjustable buoyancy chamber for adjusting the buoyancy of said buoyant central docking station; and at least one subordinate docking station for capturing and lifting at least one sea vessel.
  2. 2. The wet docking station of Claim 1, wherein said adjustable buoyancy chamber further comprises a chamber that is extemally disposed relative to saidcentral docking station.
  3. 3. The wet docking station of Claim 1, wherein said adjustable buoyancy 15 chamber further comprises a chamber that is intemally disposed relative to said central docking station.
  4. 4. The wet docking station of Claim 1, wherein said adjustable buoyancychamber further comprises a plurality of discrète inner chambers. 20
  5. 5. The wet docking station of Claim 1, wherein said adjustable buoyancychamber further comprises at least one fîuid intake port and at least one fluidévacuation port. 20 01335 2
  6. 6. The wet docking station of Claim 1, further comprising a coupling memberused to couple said at least one sea vessel to said central docking station.
  7. 7. The wet docking station of Claim 1, further comprising a coupling member5 used to couple a plurality of captured sea vessels to one another.
  8. 8. The wet docking station of Claim 7, wherein said coupling member furthercomprises an intermediate deck surface.
  9. 9. The wet docking station of Claim 1, wherein said at least one sea vessel further comprises an offshore energy exploration equipment package.
  10. 10. The wet docking station of Claim 1, wherein said at least one sea vesselfurther comprises an offshore energy production equipment package. 15
  11. 11. The wet docking station of Claim 1, wherein said at least one sea vesselfurther comprises at least one of a helicopter pad; a crew quarters; a ship controlroom; an oil separating unit; a gas separating unit; a water separating unit; a sandseparating unit; a gas treatment unit; a gas injection unit; a power generating unit; and 20 energy exploration and production equipment. 21 013352
  12. 12. A method of exploring and producing offshore energy sites using a wetdocking station, the method comprising: disposing a buoyant central docking station in communication with anadjustable buoyancy chamber, wherein said adjustable buoyancy chamber is used toadjust the buoyancy of said buoyant central docking station; and disposing said buoyant central docking station in communication with at leastone subordinate docking station, wherein said at least one subordinate docking stationis used to capture and lift at least one sea vessel.
  13. 13. The method of Claim 12, further comprising disposing an adjustable buoyancychamber that is extemally disposed relative to said central docking station.
  14. 14. The method of Claim 12, further comprising disposing an adjustable buoyancychamber that is intemally disposed relative to said central docking station.
  15. 15. The method of Claim 12, further comprising disposing an adjustable buoyancychamber having a plurality of discrète inner chambers.
  16. 16. The method of Claim 12, further comprising disposing an adjustable buoyancychamber having at least one fluid intake port and at least one fluid évacuation port.
  17. 17. The method of Claim 12, further comprising disposing an adjustably buoyantcentral docking station having a coupling member used to couple said at least one seavessel to said central docking station. 22 01335 2
  18. 18. The wet docking station of Claim 12, further comprising disposing a buoyantcentral docking station having a coupling member used to couple a plurality ofcaptured sea vessels to one another.
  19. 19. The method of Claim 18, further comprising disposing a buoyant central docking station having an intermediate deck surface.
  20. 20. The method of Claim 12, further comprising equipping said at least one seavessel with an offshore energy exploration equipment package. 10
  21. 21. The method of Claim 12, further comprising equipping said at least one seavessel with an offshore energy production equipment package. 23
OA1200600216A 2005-06-29 2006-06-27 Sea vessel docking station. OA13352A (en)

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US69572705P 2005-06-29 2005-06-29
US11/285,439 US20070000419A1 (en) 2005-06-29 2005-11-22 Sea vessel docking station

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AU (1) AU2006202468B2 (en)
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AP2722A (en) 2013-08-31
US20230219665A1 (en) 2023-07-13
CA2544222A1 (en) 2006-10-27
AU2006202468A1 (en) 2007-01-18
US20130180441A1 (en) 2013-07-18
US20190389546A1 (en) 2019-12-26
ES2312066T3 (en) 2009-02-16
AU2006202468B2 (en) 2008-04-24
WO2007005085A1 (en) 2007-01-11
US20180194444A1 (en) 2018-07-12
EA200600770A2 (en) 2006-12-29
AP2006003636A0 (en) 2006-06-30
EP1739005A1 (en) 2007-01-03
ATE403595T1 (en) 2008-08-15
DE602006002071D1 (en) 2008-09-18
US20070000419A1 (en) 2007-01-04
AR057412A1 (en) 2007-12-05
US20090107376A1 (en) 2009-04-30
EP1739005B1 (en) 2008-08-06
US20080202401A1 (en) 2008-08-28
US20210269129A1 (en) 2021-09-02
DK1739005T3 (en) 2008-11-17
US20110135390A1 (en) 2011-06-09
BRPI0602481A (en) 2006-11-14
US20160016647A1 (en) 2016-01-21

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