The present invention relates to a system and method for uncovering and removing pipeline from the seafloor using a subsea trenching system using pressurized water to uncover pipe, a subsea shear carried by a barge to cut lengths of the pipeline, and a grapple carried by a barge to lift cut lengths of pipeline for placement on a pipe haul and recovery barge.

There is provided a material transfer system including a reciprocating conveyor which selectively moves in a first direction of movement and a second direction of movement opposite the first direction of movement. The conveyor is configured to promote movement of material in the first direction and inhibit movement of material in the second direction. There is further provided a material transfer system comprising a first reciprocating conveyor which selectively moves material towards a first location. The system includes a second reciprocating conveyor which overlaps with the first reciprocating conveyor. The second reciprocating conveyor selectively moves material from the first location towards a second location. There is also provided a material transfer system comprising a passageway having an upstream inlet and a downstream outlet. The passageway may be a conduit, a siphon or chute. The system includes a reciprocating conveyor conveying fluvial material towards the inlet of the passageway.

The present invention relates to a system and its equipments to collect mineral ores on the seabed and to float them up to the sea surface by utilizing the buoyancy of a liquid having a specific gravity less than that of water at room temperature. It is an underwater navigator capable of autonomous navigation that descends at a specific gravity of around 1.0 with a ballast that cancels buoyancy when descending from the sea surface, and ascends at a specific gravity of around 1.0 by exchanging mineral ores with the ballast on the seabed. On the seafloor, it is accompanied by a device that collects seabed mineral ores for the underwater vehicle.

A method of pumping material from a sea floor to a vessel on a sea surface, including the steps of collecting material from the sea floor using a production tool, connecting the production tool to the vessel with a riser including a riser transfer pipe, and pumping the material from the production tool to the vessel using a subsea slurry lift pump positioned between the production tool and the vessel and attached to the production tool by the riser transfer pipe. The method further includes backflushing the riser transfer pipe by running seawater through the slurry lift pump into the riser transfer pipe toward the production tool.

The present invention relates to a system and method for uncovering and removing pipeline from the seafloor using a subsea trenching system using pressurized water to uncover pipe, a subsea shear carried by a barge to cut lengths of the pipeline, and a grapple carried by a barge to lift cut lengths of pipeline for placement on a pipe haul and recovery barge.

The pipe includes at least one tubular sheath delimiting a passage for circulation of the abrasive material, at least one tensile armor layer externally positioned with respect to the tubular sheath, the armor layer including a plurality of filiform armor elements. It further includes a protective internal layer positioned inside the tubular sheath in the circulation passage, the protective internal layer including an elastomeric matrix and a longitudinal reinforcement assembly embedded in the matrix.

There is provided a material transfer system comprising a first reciprocating conveyor which selectively moves material towards a first location, and a second reciprocating conveyor which overlaps with the first reciprocating conveyor, with the second reciprocating conveyor selectively moving material from the first location towards a second location. There is also provided a material transfer system according to another aspect comprising a conduit in fluid communication with an upstream portion of the body of water, and a reciprocating conveyor configured to convey upstream said material in the body of water towards the conduit. There is further provided a reciprocating conveyor configured to promote movement of the material in a first direction and inhibit movement of the material in a second direction, and a conveyor position adjustment assembly configured to selectively move a first end portion of the conveyor relative to a second end portion of the conveyor.

A seabed-resource lifting device causing deep-sea mud that contains rare-earth elements to rise from depths of 5000 m or more. This seabed-resource lifting device includes: a transport hose that includes a first hose and a second hose and that hangs from a resource-recovery vessel to the seabed; a crawler-type collector that includes a first suction chamber that sends mud from the seabed to the first hose, and a second suction chamber that sends mud from the seabed to the second hose; a water electrolyzer that, using electricity supplied from the resource-recovery vessel, electrolyzes water so as to generate hydrogen gas and oxygen gas; and a gas-injection device that injects the generated hydrogen gas and oxygen gas into the first suction chamber and the second suction chamber, respectively. Mud that contains rare-earth elements rises with sea water due to the buoyancy of the hydrogen gas or oxygen gas.

An environmentally-friendly semi-closed loop deep-sea ore hydraulic lifting system, comprises a water injection pump, a water injection riser, a deep-sea multiple high-pressure silo feeding device, a lifting riser, a dewatering device and a pipeline. The water injection pump and the dewatering device are fixed on a mining ship. The water injection pump is connected to the deep-sea multiple high-pressure silo feeding device through the water injection riser. The deep-sea multiple high-pressure silo feeding device is connected to the dewatering device through the lifting riser. The water injection pump is connected to the dewatering device through the pipeline. Seawater is pumped into the water injection riser by the water injection pump, then ore is fed into a high-pressure hydraulic pipeline by the deep-sea multiple high-pressure silo feeding device to be mixed with the seawater, and an obtained ore and seawater mixture is lifted to the mining ship on the sea surface.

The present invention relates to a system and its equipments to collect mineral ores on the seabed and to float them up to the sea surface by utilizing the buoyancy of a liquid having a specific gravity less than that of water at room temperature. It is an underwater navigator capable of autonomous navigation that descends at a specific gravity of around 1.0 with a ballast that cancels buoyancy when descending from the sea surface, and ascends at a specific gravity of around 1.0 by exchanging mineral ores with the ballast on the seabed. On the seafloor, it is accompanied by a device that collects seabed mineral ores for the underwater vehicle.