Shallow water mooring system using synthetic mooring lines

Abstract

A shallow water mooring system applies to offshore industry for oil and gas exploration, and production. This mooring system employs non-steel synthetic lines to provide the desired flexibility for shallow water mooring system applications. Piled submerged towers at seabed serve as elevated anchors to keep the whole synthetic mooring lines off the seabed under environmental loading conditions. Other buoyant means such as a buoy is also utilized to further help the synthetic mooring lines off the seabed during their service life.

1 . A shallow water mooring system for a large offshore floating vessel application (>300′ in vessel length) in a water depth range between  20  feet and 200 feet utilizing synthetic nonsteel lines and at least one elevation means selected from (1) the use of a submerged tower structure fixed at seabed to serve as an elevated anchor which will allow the bottom end of a mooring line connection to be at least 5 feet above seabed, and (2) the use of at least one buoyant object disposed at at least one point along the length of the synthetic line.  
   
   
       2 . The shallow water mooring system of  claim 1  where said synthetic mooring line comprises a Polyester line.  
   
   
       3 . The shallow water mooring system of  claim 1  wherein said submerged tower structure is a piled structure fixed to the seabed.  
   
   
       4 . The shallow water mooring system of  claim 1  wherein said submerged tower structure at least partially protrudes above a surface of the water.  
   
   
       5 . The shallow water mooring system of  claim 1  wherein said submerged tower structure is a gravity-based structure fixed to the seabed.  
   
   
       6 . The shallow water mooring system of  claim 1  wherein said at least one buoyant object comprises at least one buoy disposed at at least one point along the length of the mooring line.  
   
   
       7 . The shallow water mooring system of  claim 1  wherein said at least one buoyant object comprises at least one buoyant foam disposed along the length of the mooring line.