Offshore drilling vessel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9796458-B2
Application number	US-201515123526-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2015
Priority date	Mar 3, 2014
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

An offshore drilling vessel includes a main deck, a moonpool a firing line hoist system having a tower, a BOP transport system and a pivotally supported U-shaped working deck. The U-shaped working deck can be pivoted between an active position, in which it extends in a substantially horizontal direction such that it covers a portion of the moonpool, and a non-active position, in which it extends in a substantially vertical direction such that it provides room for a BOP to be moved by the BOP transport system from a storage position adjacent the moonpool into a launch position above the moonpool, in which launch position the BOP is located between the tower and the working deck.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An offshore drilling vessel comprising:
a hull having a moonpool;
a main deck, which main deck is supported by the hull;
a firing line hoist system, which firing line hoist system is supported by the hull, the firing line hoist system comprising:
a tower, which tower is arranged at said moonpool, and which tower has a top and a base, a first side and a second side, and wherein the base of the tower is connected to the hull of the drilling vessel at the moonpool such that the first side of the tower faces the moonpool; and
a hoisting device, which hoisting device comprises a load attachment device displaceable supported by the tower, one or more cables and one or more associated winches to manipulate the position of the load attachment device relative to the tower in a vertical direction along a firing line, which firing line extends on the outside of and adjacent to the first side of the tower and through the moonpool, and the hoisting device is adapted for raising and lowering a BOP to a seabed;

a BOP transport system, provided at the first side of the tower and configured for moving the BOP between a storage position adjacent the moonpool and a launch position above the moonpool, in which launch position the BOP is located in the firing line and is configured to be manipulated by the hoisting device, which BOP transport system comprises:
a BOP transport track, which BOP transport track comprises two parallel guide rails that are supported by the hull such that the guide rails bridge the moonpool in a lateral direction thereof; and
a BOP transport cart, which transport cart is movably supported by the guide rails; and

a U-shaped working deck, which U-shaped working deck is provided at the first side of the tower above the parallel guide rails of the BOP transport system, which U-shaped working deck comprises a base part, and two leg parts, which leg parts have a proximal end connected to said base part at spaced apart locations such that the leg parts between them define an elongate slot for receiving a tubular supported in the firing line, the elongate slot having a closed end, located in a central area of the U-shape working deck between the proximal ends of the legs, and an open end, located at a side of the U-shaped working deck between distal ends of the legs,
wherein the U-shaped working deck is pivotally supported such that the U-shaped working deck is configured to be pivoted about a working deck pivot axis, which working deck pivot axis extends parallel to the guide rails of the BOP transport track and is provided at a distance from the tower such that the BOP transport track extends between the pivot axis and the tower, and wherein a working deck pivot drive is configured to pivot the working deck about said pivot axis between:
an active position, in which the working deck extends in a substantially horizontal direction such that the working deck covers a portion of the moonpool while the firing line extends through the elongate slot at the closed end thereof; and
a non-active position, in which the working deck clears the BOP transport track and extends in a substantially vertical direction such that the working deck provides room for the BOP to be moved by the BOP transport system into the launch position above the moonpool between the tower and the working deck, and

wherein the working deck is pivotally supported at the base part thereof, such that when the U-shaped working deck is pivoted from the non-active position into the active position while a tubular is supported in the firing line, the tubular is received in the elongate slot between the two leg parts.

2. The offshore drilling vessel according to claim 1 , wherein the working deck, when in the active position, rests on at least one of the guide rails of the BOP transport system.

3. The offshore drilling vessel according to claim 2 , wherein the U-shaped working deck comprises at least two support beams, which support beams extend parallel to the legs of the U-shaped working deck on opposite sides of the elongate slot, and wherein the support beams rest directly on at least one of the guide rails of the BOP transport track, when the U-shaped working deck is in the active position.

4. The offshore drilling vessel according to claim 3 , wherein the U-shaped working deck comprises a suspension device, which suspension device is attached to the support beams, such that a load supported by the suspension device is transferred directly from the suspension device to the support beams.

5. The offshore drilling device according to claim 1 , wherein the U-shaped working deck is provided with a suspension device that allows suspending a riser string from the U-shaped working deck in the firing line.

6. The offshore drilling vessel according to claim 1 , wherein the elongate slot of the U-shaped working deck extends in a longitudinal direction of the U-shaped working deck and over more than half the length of the U-shaped working deck.

7. The offshore drilling vessel according to claim 1 , wherein the U-shaped working deck comprises movable deck parts for, when the U-shaped working deck is in the active position, covering part of the elongate slot while keeping the elongate slot near the closed end uncovered to enable a tubular supported in the firing line to pass through the elongate slot at the closed end thereof.

8. The offshore drilling vessel according to claim 1 , wherein the base of the tower is connected to the hull of the drilling vessel at the moonpool at opposite sides thereof, such that at least the first side of the tower bridges the moonpool in a lateral direction thereof.

9. The offshore drilling vessel according claim 8 , wherein the base of the tower is connected to the hull of the drilling vessel at the moonpool at opposite sides thereof, such that the first side of the tower and the second side of the tower bridge the moonpool in a lateral direction thereof, and wherein the vessel has a stationary working deck at the second side of the tower, and wherein the pivotable U-shaped working deck, when in the active position, is located at substantially the same height as the stationary working deck is located at.

10. The offshore drilling vessel according to claim 1 , wherein the U-shaped pivotable working deck, when in the active position, is located at substantially the same height as the main deck such that objects can be moved in a horizontal direction from the main deck onto the working deck.

11. The offshore drilling vessel according to claim 10 , wherein the main deck is provided with transport rails for supporting carts to transport objects over the main deck, and wherein the U-shaped pivotable working deck is provided with transport rails, which, when the U-shaped pivotable working deck is in the active position, are in line with transport rails provided on the working deck such that a cart is configured to be driven over the transport rails from the main deck onto the working deck and vice versa.

12. The offshore drilling vessel according to claim 1 , wherein the off shore drilling vessel is a monohull drilling vessel, the monohull having an elongate shape extending along a longitudinal axis, wherein the moonpool has an elongate shape extending along a longitudinal axis, the latter being parallel with the longitudinal axis of the monohull drilling vessel.

13. The offshore drilling vessel according to claim 1 , wherein the BOP transport cart has a support frame that is provided with a lateral opening that allows for a tubular to be moved, in a lateral direction, into or out of the BOP support frame.

14. The offshore drilling ves

Assignees

• Itrec Bv

Inventors

• Roodenburg Joop
• Wijning Diederick Bernardus

Classifications

• E21B33/064

  specially adapted for underwater well heads · CPC title

• E21B19/084

  with flexible drawing means, e.g. cables · CPC title

• E21B15/02

  specially adapted for underwater drilling (E21B15/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B63B35/4413 Primary

  Floating drilling platforms, e.g. carrying water-oil separating devices · CPC title

• E21B19/09

  specially adapted for drilling underwater formations from a floating support using heave compensators supporting the drill string · CPC title