Offshore cargo rack for use in transferring loads between a marine vessel and an offshore platform

Abstract

A cargo rack for transferring loads between a marine vessel and an offshore marine platform (for example, oil and gas well drilling or production platform) provides a frame having a front, a rear, and upper and lower end portions. The lower end of the frame has a perimeter beam base, a raised floor and a pair of open-ended parallel fork tine tubes or sockets that communicate with the perimeter beam at the front and rear of the frame, preferably being structurally connected (e.g., welded) thereto. Openings in the perimeter beam base align with the forklift tine tubes or sockets. The frame includes a plurality of fixed side walls extending upwardly from the perimeter beam that include at least left and right side walls. A plurality of gates are movably mounted on the frame including a gate at least at the front and at least at the rear of the frame, each gate being movable between open and closed positions, the gates enabling a forklift to place loads on the floor by accessing either the front of the frame or the rear of the frame. Each gate can be pivotally attached to a fixed side wall. The frame has vertically extending positioning beams or lugs that segment the raised floor into a plurality of load-holding positions. Each load holding position has a plurality of positioning beams or lugs that laterally hold a load module (e.g., palletized load) in position once a load is placed on the raised floor.

1 . A cargo rack comprising:
 a) a frame having a front, a rear, and upper and lower end portions;   b) the lower end portion of the frame providing a base with a floor providing multiple load holding positions, each load holding position configured to hold a separate load module;   c) a plurality of load modules that are supported with the frame during use;   d) the frame including a plurality of side walls that attach to and extend upwardly from the perimeter beam base and including at least left and right side walls, the frame having four corners with a corner column at each corner;   e) multiple intermediate columns, each said intermediate column positioned in between two corner columns;   f) a plurality of gates that are movably mounted to the frame, each gate spanning in a horizontal direction from a corner column to an intermediate column;   g) a plurality of lifting eyes attached to the upper end portion of the frame, each lifting eye attached to an intermediate column; and   h) inner walls that separate the base into said load holding position, said inner walls spanning between intermediate columns to define a transverse support that is generally aligned with a pair of lifting eyes.   
     
     
         2 . The cargo rack of  claim 1  wherein there are four load holding positions. 
     
     
         3 . The cargo rack of  claim 1  wherein there are a pair of gates at the front of the frame. 
     
     
         4 . The cargo rack of  claim 1  wherein there are a pair of gates at the rear of the frame. 
     
     
         5 . The cargo rack of  claim 1  wherein at least a part of the floor is inclined. 
     
     
         6 . The cargo rack of  claim 5  wherein the floor attaches to an upper end portion of the perimeter beam. 
     
     
         7 . The cargo rack of  claim 5  wherein there is a drain opening in the floor. 
     
     
         8 . The cargo rack of  claim 1  wherein the floor attaches to an upper end portion of the perimeter beam. 
     
     
         9 . The cargo rack of  claim 1  further comprising clamps movably attached to the upper end of the frame between clamping and release positions for restraining vertical movement of a load that is placed on the floor. 
     
     
         10 . The cargo rack of  claim 1  further comprising raised portions that extend above the raised floor for providing a level surface to engage a load placed on a load holding position of the frame. 
     
     
         11 . A cargo rack comprising:
 a) a frame having a perimeter, a front, a rear, and upper and lower end portions;   b) the frame including a plurality of side walls extending upwardly from the frame perimeter and including at least left and right side walls, four corners that each provide a corner column and a plurality of intermediate columns, each intermediate column positioned in between a pair of corner columns;   c) a plurality of gates that are movably mounted to the frame, each gate extending between a corner column and an intermediate column; and   d) the frame having a raised floor that provides a plurality of load holding positions.   
     
     
         12 . The cargo rack of  claim 11  wherein there are four load holding positions. 
     
     
         13 . The cargo rack of  claim 11  wherein there are a pair of gates at the front of the frame. 
     
     
         14 . The cargo rack of  claim 11  wherein there are a pair of gates at the rear of the frame. 
     
     
         15 . The cargo rack of  claim 11  wherein the load platform includes inclined portions. 
     
     
         16 . The cargo rack of  claim 15  wherein there is a drain in the load platform. 
     
     
         17 . The cargo rack of  claim 11  wherein the frame lower end portion includes a plurality of perimeter beams and the load platform attaches to the perimeter beams. 
     
     
         18 . The cargo rack of  claim 17  wherein the load platform attaches to the upper end portion of at least one of the perimeter beams. 
     
     
         19 . The cargo rack of  claim 11  further comprising clamps movably attached to the upper end of the frame between clamping and release positions for restraining vertical movement of a load that is placed on the load platform. 
     
     
         20 . A cargo rack comprising:
 a) a frame having a floor, a front, a rear and upper and lower end portions;   b) a plurality of load modules that are supported within the frame and upon the floor during use;   c) the frame including a plurality of side walls extending upwardly from a perimeter beam and including at least left and right side walls, the frame having four corners and a corner column at each corner;   d) a plurality of gates that are movably mounted on the frame, including a pair of gates at the front of the frame and a pair of gates at the rear of the frame, each gate being movable between open and closed positions, the gates enabling the load modules to be loaded laterally to the floor by accessing either the front or the rear of the frame;   e) the frame having members that laterally hold one of the load modules in position once a load module is placed on the floor and in a load holding position; and   f) wherein the gates expose a majority of the width of the floor for loading a tank to a selected load holding position on the floor, when the gates are opened.   
     
     
         21 . The cargo rack of  claim 20  wherein there are a pair of gates at the front of the frame. 
     
     
         22 . The cargo rack of  claim 20  wherein there are a pair of gates at the rear of the frame. 
     
     
         23 . The cargo rack of  claim 20  wherein the floor is inclined. 
     
     
         24 . The cargo rack of  claim 23  wherein the floor attaches to the upper end portion of at least some of the perimeter beams. 
     
     
         25 . The cargo rack of  claim 23  wherein there is a drain in the floor. 
     
     
         26 . The cargo rack of  claim 20  wherein the floor attaches to the upper end portion of at least some of the perimeter beams. 
     
     
         27 . The cargo rack of  claim 20  further comprising clamps movably attached to the upper end of the frame between clamping and release positions for holding restraining vertical movement of a load that is placed on the floor. 
     
     
         28 . The cargo rack of  claim 20  further comprising raised pedestals that extend above the floor for providing a level surface to engage a load placed on a load holding position of the frame. 
     
     
         29 . The cargo rack of  claim 20  wherein there are four load holding positions.