CPC B63B 21/66 (2013.01) [B63B 21/20 (2013.01); B63B 22/18 (2013.01); B63B 35/03 (2013.01); F16L 1/24 (2013.01); F16L 1/163 (2013.01)] | 19 Claims |
1. A method of launching an elongate subsea structure into water, the method comprising:
providing buoyant support to the structure by displacing water with a hollow buoyancy unit that applies buoyant upthrust to the structure; and
by lowering the buoyancy unit in the water to bring at least one permanently open aperture of the buoyancy unit beneath a surface level of the water, flooding the buoyancy unit with water through the or each permanently open aperture to reduce the buoyant upthrust applied to the structure;
wherein the method further comprises dragging at least part of the structure along a seabed while launching the structure.
|