System and method for handling reels for laying elongated members on the bed of a body of water, auxiliary structure, and laying vessel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10024461-B2
Application number	US-201715413927-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2017
Priority date	Nov 30, 2012
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

A system configured to handle reels for laying elongated members on the bed of a body of water, and in particular for transferring reels between an auxiliary structure and a laying vessel, has a bridge configured to connect the auxiliary structure and the laying vessel; and actuators configured to move a reel along and resting on the bridge.

First claim

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. A laying vessel configured to lay an elongated member unwound off of a reel, the laying vessel comprising:
a main deck;
an unreeling station along the main deck, said unreeling station including an unreeling device configured to support the reel for rotation;
a pit defined by a recess formed in the main deck, said pit including a plurality of lateral walls beneath the unreeling station; and
an elevator housed in the pit and configured to lift and lower the reel, said elevator including a first upright slideably fitted to a first of the lateral walls of the pit and a second upright slideably fitted to a second of the lateral walls of the pit.

2. A laying vessel configured to lay an elongated member unwound off of a reel, the laying vessel comprising:
a main deck;
an unreeling station along the main deck, said unreeling station including an unreeling device configured to support the reel for rotation;
a support assembly configured to support a bridge configured to transfer the reel and position the reel at the unreeling device;
a pit defined by the main deck, said pit being beneath the unreeling station;
an elevator housed in the pit and configured to lift the reel onto the bridge and lower the reel to release the reel off of the bridge.

3. The laying vessel of claim 2 , wherein the support assembly includes at least one heave compensating device.

4. The laying vessel of claim 2 , wherein the support assembly includes two supports each including a supporting point for the bridge, the supporting point being located along a longitudinal plane of symmetry of the laying vessel.

Assignees

• Saipem Spa

Inventors

• Baylot Michel
• Hajeri Yann

Classifications

• H02G1/10

  in or under water · CPC title

• B63B35/04

  Cable-laying vessels · CPC title

• B63B27/30

  {Arrangement of ship-based loading or unloading equipment} for transfer at sea between ships or between ships and off-shore structures · CPC title

• F16L1/205

  Pipe-laying ships (F16L1/225, F16L1/23 and F16L1/235 take precedence) · CPC title

• F16L1/207 Primary

  Pipe handling apparatus · CPC title