US 11,708,132 B2
Mooring assembly and vessel provided therewith
Willem Sievert Ganzinga, Beverwijk (NL); and Johannes Cornelis Perdijk, Voorburg (NL)
Assigned to BLUEWATER ENERGY SERVICES B.V., Hoofddorp (NL)
Appl. No. 16/772,696
Filed by Bluewater Energy Services B.V., Hoofddorp (NL)
PCT Filed Dec. 14, 2017, PCT No. PCT/EP2017/082796
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 12, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/114966, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 20, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2020/0324862 A1, Oct. 15, 2020
Int. Cl. B63B 21/50 (2006.01); B63B 22/02 (2006.01)
CPC B63B 21/508 (2013.01) [B63B 22/02 (2013.01); B63B 2022/028 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A mooring assembly for a vessel of the type comprising a turret which is intended to be rotatably mounted to the vessel in a manner that the vessel can weathervane around the turret, which turret is provided with a lower receptacle cone having a lowermost end, the mooring assembly comprising:
a buoy which in a disconnectable manner is received in the receptacle cone, the buoy comprising a plurality of pivot legs regularly positioned on a lower part of the buoy, wherein the pivot legs each at a first leg end are pivotably connected to the buoy through a horizontally extending pivot axis in such a manner that the pivot legs pivot in a radial plane with respect to the buoy between a first position, when the buoy is received in the receptacle cone of the turret, wherein each pivot axis is disposed on the buoy such that each pivot axis is located at a level above the lowermost end of the receptacle cone, in which first position the pivot legs extend mainly vertically downwards and engage an inner surface of the receptacle cone, and a second position, when the buoy is positioned outside of the receptacle cone of the turret and each pivot axis is located at a level below the lowermost end of the receptacle cone, in which second position the pivot legs extend mainly horizontally outwards from the buoy, and wherein each pivot leg has such a length that in the first position its second end is located at a level below the lowermost end of the receptacle cone;
mooring lines attached to the buoy and configured to be anchored to stationary anchor points, and wherein the mooring lines are attached to a respective opposite second leg end of the pivot legs; and
risers connecting to and extending through the buoy which have upper ends configured to be connected to lower ends of turret piping through riser connections when the buoy is received in the receptacle cone of the turret.