Floating terminal for loading/offloading ships such as methane tankers

Abstract

A floating terminal for loading/offloading cargo of ships such as methane tankers comprises an area for mooring ships and a submerged skirt to damp oscillation of the terminal to attenuate relative movement of the terminal and ships in the mooring area.

1 . A floating terminal for loading/offloading cargo of ships, said terminal including a partially immersed and substantially horizontally elongated floating caisson comprising: an area for mooring said ships,
 a submerged skirt extending over at least a portion of the length of said caisson to damp oscillations of said terminal in order to attenuate relative movement of said terminal and ships in said mooring area,   an orientation device that allows orientation of said terminal properly relative to the swell, the wind, or the current, so as to protect said ships, and   a component for loading or offloading the cargo of a methane tanker.   
     
     
         2 . The floating terminal claimed in claim I, wherein the submerged skirt is a submerged horizontal skirt. 
     
     
         3 . The floating terminal claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the submerged skirt comprises two submerged horizontal skirt components extending over at least a portion of the length of the terminal's lower portion. 
     
     
         4 . The floating terminal claimed in claim I, wherein the submerged skirt is a submerged vertical skirt. 
     
     
         5 . The floating terminal claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the submerged skirt comprises two submerged vertical skirt components extending over at least a portion of the length of the terminal's lower portion. 
     
     
         6 . The floating terminal claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the submerged skirt is oriented at an angle between the horizontal and the vertical and extending over at least a portion of the length of the terminal's lower portion. 
     
     
         7 . The floating terminal claimed in  claim 1  wherein said orientation device comprises a fixed positioning device. 
     
     
         8 . The floating terminal claimed in  claim 7  wherein said fixed positioning device comprises a catenary anchoring system. 
     
     
         9 . The floating terminal claimed in  claim 1  wherein said orientation device comprises a mobile positioning device. 
     
     
         10 . The floating terminal claimed in  claim 9  wherein said mobile positioning device comprises a system chosen from the group comprising turret systems and articulated arm systems. 
     
     
         11 . The floating terminal claimed in  claim 9  wherein said orientation device comprises a displacement device. 
     
     
         12 . The floating terminal claimed in  claim 11  wherein said displacement device is chosen from the group comprising thrusters and tugs. 
     
     
         13 . The floating terminal claimed in  claim 1  comprising a swell damping chamber chosen from the group comprising a chamber on the upstream side of said floating terminal relative to the direction of the swell and a chamber on the downstream side in that direction. 
     
     
         14 . The floating terminal claimed in  claim 13  wherein said damping chamber is of the perforated wall type. 
     
     
         15 . The floating terminal claimed in  claim 1  comprising a component for storing said cargo. 
     
     
         16 . The floating terminal claimed in  claim 1  comprising a plant chosen from the group comprising lines and risers for importing/exporting said cargo, loading/offloading arms for said cargo, a device for treating said cargo, crew quarters, maintenance areas, and control area. 
     
     
         17 . The floating terminal claimed in  claim 1  constructed from a material chosen from the group comprising steel, reinforced concrete, and prestressed concrete. 
     
     
         18 . A floating terminal for loading/offloading liquefied natural gas (LNG) from an LNG carrier, said terminal including a partially immersed and substantially horizontally elongated floating caisson comprising:
 a mooring arrangement for mooring, said LNG carrier in a side-by-side arrangement with the caisson,   a submerged skirt extending over at least a portion of the length of said caisson to damp oscillations of said terminal in order to attenuate relative movement of said terminal and said LNG carrier when the LNG carrier is moored to said terminal at said mooring area,   a terminal mooring device comprising an orientation device that enables mooring of said terminal at an orientation transversely relative to at least one of the swell, the wind, and the current, wherein said mooring area faces and contacts the open sea and is positioned downstream of said at least one of the swell, the wind, and the current, so as to protect said LNG carrier when the LNG carrier is moored to said terminal at said mooring area, wherein the orientation device comprises an internal turret adaptable to be connected to the seabed, such that the internal turret is positioned between a bow and a stern of the floating terminal,   an LNG storage means for storing the LNG to be off-loaded from or loaded onto the LNG carrier, and   LNG loading/offloading arms for offloading LNG from the LNG carrier for storage in the storage means and for loading LNG from the storage means onto the LNG carrier.